Utilization of Maternal Child Health Services among High Risk Pregnant Women using Geographic Information System

Abstract

Introduction: High risk pregnancy results in increasing the risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality rate it could be reduced through effective and regular antenatal care with appropriate technology. The aim of this study was to use and apply the Geographic Information System technology for the identification of utilization pattern of MCH services by high risk pregnant women (HRPW). This main objective is achieved through: Identifying prevailing risk factors among pregnant women. Finding out utilization pattern of MCH services by high risk pregnant women. Assessing MCH centers in relation to primary health care characteristics and using GIS to map the locations of all available health services related to needs of high risk pregnant women within studied area, as well as mapping of high risk factors and, the accessibility of MCH centers to high risk pregnant women was studied and analyzed. Design A descriptive design and spatial were used. Subjects and Methods The study was conducted at six MCH centers, located at six different regions affiliated to Ministry of Health in Cairo governorate. A convenience sample consisted of235 high risk pregnant women was selected. Attending antenatal clinic at MCH centers within six months. Tools Data were collected through structured interviewing sheet and through reviewing the medical records of the sample at the six studied centers. Results The data was analyzed and the results were tabulated based on location and using the GIS tools. 72.8% of high risk pregnant women had insufficient income, more than half (55.6%) of them had cesarean birth. Also 52% of the studied sample had abortion, (18.9%) (had habitual abortion). (77.4%) of the sample using MCH center only to get their antenatal care than using another health setting. (75%) of the subjects had access to MCH centers, 75% ofthem had free drugs of the offered services and 80.9% of them had satisfaction towards services offered by the MCH centers. Conclusion more than half of the sample had cesarean section and abortion, most of them had positive concern toward antenatal care and started their initial visit in the first trimester. Recommendation Nurses should act in raising the awareness of the high risk pregnant women about the importance of early and regular antenatal care, family planning and health education. Nurses should have more effective role in following up the postpartum mothers through proper home visiting. This could be achieved through in-service training program including updated essential knowledge and practice. The study recommended using GIS technology as an effective and efficient tool in analyzing data and find out the result and required information in easy and quick manner statistically and spatially. Ministry of health must utilize GIS technology to be applied in more researches regarding the utilization ofMCH centers among HRPW.