Exploring Midwives’ Practices Towards Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B in the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly

Abstract

Hepatitis B viral infection (HBV) infections remain one of the most disturbing liver infections in the world. Mother-to-child transmission remains one of the major routes of HBV transmission and therefore a key public health concern especially in Africa. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) is very crucial in the elimination of HBV. Midwives are in the frontline as direct care providers of maternal and newborn care in Ghana. Therefore, their practices towards the prevention of mother-to-child transmission are very crucial in averting complications associated with HBV infection. However, there was paucity of literature on the practices of midwives towards PMTCT in Ghana despite the prevalence of HBV. This study explored midwives’ practices towards prevention of mother-to-child transmission of Hepatitis B in the La Nkwantanang municipal assembly, Ghana. An exploratory descriptive qualitative design was employed for the study. Fourteen (14) midwives were purposively sampled from Madina polyclinic to participate in the study. Face -to-face interview was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide to collect data from participants. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data that was audio tape and transcribed verbatim. Six major themes emerged from the data. The findings established that midwives had some challenges towards PMTCT as well as some incorrect practices towards PMTCT. These findings suggest that there are several factors that influence midwives’ practices towards PMTCT. Therefore, the need to train midwives on PMTCT of hepatitis B is crucial in Ghana. The findings of this study have implications for Nursing practice, education and Nursing research.