Referral practices of trained Traditional Birth Attendants in selected Local Government Areas of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) represent an important component of the healthcare system and arc present at 50% of deliveries in developing countries. Despite the training given to TBAs by significant organizations on timely referrals, maternal deaths attributed to delay in referrals persists. The aim of this study was to assess the reported referral practices of trained TBAs in Ibadan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among trained TBAs in Ibadan North and Lagelu Local Government Areas of Ibadan, Oyo state utilizing mixed methods. A total of 114 trained TBAs were randomly selected and completed a questionnaire. Eight TBA leaders were interviewed using a key informant interview guide. The quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22 and t-test at a= 0.05. The qualitative data was analyzed with NVivo version 12. Results: Findings revealed that 61.4% of the TBAs had good referral practices. The leading perceived factors influencing the referral practices of the TBAs was rejection of referral by the pregnant women, cost and attitude of health care workers. A strong theme that emerged during the KIIs indicated that referral decisions were made by the TBAs although that did not guarantee compliance. There was no significant difference in the referral practice of TBAs located at semi urban or urban area (t=0.429, p=0.669). Conclusion: There is need to subsidize cost of health care for pregnant women, improve attitude of health care workers and to target the pregnant women when developing policies on referral.