Umbilical Cord Care Practices Among Mothers/caretakers With Neonates Within the Tamale Metropolis

Abstract

Varied practices adopted for umbilical cord care are dependent on cultural and religious beliefs, educational level and availability of resources. Poor umbilical cord care practices have been linked with infections, neonatal mortality and morbidity as a result of pathogenic entry. An assessment of current trends in umbilical cord care will enable the institution of best practices to reduce associated mortality and morbidity in neonates. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted within four selected health facilities (TTH, TWH, TCH and RCH clinic) within the Tamale metropolis. Mothers with infants aged 3 to 28 days seeking postnatal care services from the study sites were eligible to enroll in the study. A total of 358 mothers were selected using a simple random sampling technique: A semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Risk variables associated with umbilical cord infection were analyzed using logistic regression. The mean age of the mothers was 27.2 ± 5.1 years with majority (58.1%) being within the 25-33 years age group. 10.6% of the mothers had their deliveries at home. Umbilical cord infection was observed in 15.4% of the neonates with 49.4% having their cord separation time within 2 to 7 days (5.8±2.6 days). Scissors (47.2%) and razor blade (26.2%) were the most preferred cord cutting materials with methylated spirit (62.8%) and shea butter (24.3%) being the preferred topical agents applied to the cord. Although improved cord separation times was observed in this study, there is the need for the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service to review policy documents on cord care.