Abstract:

This non-experimental, cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the “awareness, perception and implementation of focus antenatal care (FANC) among health care providers working in mother care clinics and hospitals in Benue State, Nigeria”. The target population comprised all skilled health care providers working in all the mother care clinics and hospitals in Benue State. The sample size consisted of 195 respondents who were selected using the convenient sampling technique after stratified sampling method. The demographic data obtained from the distributed questionnaire were analyzed using pie chart, and bar graph. Data collected were presented in frequency and percentage. Mean scores were used to analyze the data. 2.50 was chosen as the bench mark (≥2.5 as criteria of acceptance). Inferential statistics (chi-square) [x²] was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that health care providers are aware of FANC in their hospitals/clinics. Result also shows that health workers have positive perception about FANC. The health workers have tried to implement most of the activities under FANC, but some important ones such as assessment for referral, screening and some tests were not properly implemented. There were no major factors militating against the implementation of FANC in hospitals/clinics in Benue State. The hospitals/clinics do not want to implement FANC because it may deter the quantity of visits that contributes to the earning of the hospital/clinics. Hence, they are unwilling neither to implement the recommended four visits of FANC nor to educate the mothers about FANC. Based on the results, the researchers recommend that government should enforce the full implementation of FANC in all the other care hospitals/clinics in Benue State because of its significant impact on the quality care for expectant mothers. Thus, ensures a complication free pregnancy and child birth. The health care providers should implement all other activities under FANC such as assessment for referral, and some important screening and tests as these activities are also very important at ensuring complication free pregnancy and child birth. Health workers should try to educate the mothers on the importance of FANC so that they can embrace it since it has been proven to be the best approach to ANC.

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