Awareness of Pregnant Women Registered with Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi on the Risk Factors of Obstetric Emergencies

Obstetric emergencies are the leading cause of maternal and child mortality worldwide. According to WHO, about 15% of all pregnant women will develop obstetric emergencies that will require special skills to manage. A Nigerian woman has a 1 in 22 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum/post-abortion whereas most other developed countries have a risk of 1 in 4900. With figures so high, there is need for prompt response to arrest the problem. A good knowledge/awareness of pregnant women on the predisposing risk factors for occurrence of obstetric emergencies better equips them with appropriate steps to take in preventing the occurrence of such.

In this study, the awareness of pregnant women on the risk factors of obstetric emergencies was assessed. Just about 37% of the women knew the concept of obstetric emergencies but when asked the specific types, a good number were aware of all the types. The most popular type was postpartum hemorrhage with 43.5% knowledge. The risk factors most recognized included poor antenatal care, age, infection, drugs and alcohol. 96% of the population however did not think they were at risk of developing any obstetric emergency.