ABSTRACT
Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia is one of the problems affecting women during pregnancy, labour and pueperium and is among the leading factors that causes maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in Bauchi state. The study aimed at assessment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia management among nurses and midwives in secondary health care facilities in Bauchi state. It was observed that women with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia develop life threatening complications.These include; acute renal failure, Hemolysis Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets Count Syndrome, Respiratory distress syndrome and Abruptio placentae. Fetal complication includes; birth asphyxia, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction and intrauterine fetal demise among others. The objectives of the study were; to determine the level of knowledge in management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia among nurses and midwives, to assess nurses and midwives? skills in management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia patient and to assess the availability of resources for management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia among others. Cross sectional descriptive research design was used in the study. This research was carried out in secondary health care facilities in Bauchi state. The population of this study comprised of nurses and midwives in maternity units of all the secondary health care facilities in Bauchi state. Census sample of 116 respondents was used to recruit all the nurses and midwives in the study. Triangulation was used for data collection, this included self-interviewer questionnaire comprising of sections: A, B and E and observational checklist adapted from Johns HopkinProgram for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (Jhpiego) was used in sections C and D, scoring system used in the study consisted of two and three point scales respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyzed the data and was coded using excel and Statistical Package for Social Science version 23.0.Results were presented in the form of frequency tabulation and chi-square was used to test relationship between variables at p-value of 0.05 or less. The resultrevealed that the participants possessed fair knowledge (53.7%). Findings showed that there was availability of resources but not functional (Mean=1.4). The challenges faced by the respondents while providing services to the patients, work overload has the highest responses (90.5%), followed by resources not available (84.2%), availability of nurses and midwives (77.9%), conducive environment (66.3%) and delay in referrals (64.2%), The least challenge faced by the respondents was salary and wages (31.6%). In can be concluded that based on these findings nurses and midwives have had fair knowledge in management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia patients. It was observed that the study respondents?skills were satisfactory in providing the management among others. It was recommended that nurses and midwivesshould be given adequate opportunity for further education and training to acquire more knowledge identification, prompt diagnosis and effective management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia patients through seminars and workshops in order to minimized adverse outcome.