Evaluation of Health Facilities Capacity for the Management of Severe Preeclampsia and Eclampsia in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Background: The lack of properly-stocked facilities with basic and essential equipment and supplies as well as clinical guidelines required to successfully manage Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E) has been reported in developing, low-income countries. It is necessary to ensure properly stocked health facilities for effective health care delivery. This study set out to assess the capacity of the health facilities in Bayelsa, Nigeria for the management of cases of eclampsia.

Methods: A descriptive design was used in the conduct of this research in which 155 workers were recruited. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select health facilities for the study. The study instruments included a self-administered structured questionnaire, an interview guide, and an inventory checklist. Data entry, cleaning and analysis were done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Descriptive and inferential statistics were generated using the data.

Results: It was found in this study that though MgSO4 was present in one (8.33%) primary and two (66.6%) secondary health facilities visited, no guide on how to administer and monitor the patients was available. The majority of the workforce in the primary health facility were the CHEW/CHO (48%), followed by midwives (16.9%) and then nurses (12.3%).Doctors constituted 7.7% while pharmacists and pharmacist technicians constituted 6.2% and 9.2% respectively.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study revealed that facilities assessed lacked most of the basic and essential equipment, supplies and drugs, required for the successful management of PE/E. For effective management of cases of eclampsia, it is very essential that there should be a continuous supply of necessary tools, drugs and functioning equipment needed for the management of PE/E in all health care facilities.