Knowledge and practices of midwives on the administration of magnesium sulfate to pre-eclamptic or eclamptic women in a district level hospital

BackgroundThere is increasing evidence that magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is widely recognized as the preferred medicine for preventing and treating pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Several investigations have shown that one of the obstacles to the successful use of MgSO4 is the limited understanding of midwives about its administration. This study aims to assess midwives’ knowledge and practice of magnesium sulfate administration to pre-eclamptic pregnant women in the Tamale West Hospital. MethodsA total of 114 midwives were selected for the research using a process of simple random selection. The research used observational descriptive study with cross sectional study design. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics via the use of SPSS version 26. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables, and a p-value less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. ResultsA total of 114 respondents were recruited in this study. The minimum and maximum ages were 21 and 41 years, respectively. All midwives have heard about MgSO4. The majority of respondents (43.9%) have heard about magnesium sulfate from tutors/lecturers, 24.6% from other sources, 17.5% from the media (TV, Radio& Internet), and 14% from colleagues. More than half of the respondents (53.5%) had good knowledge of respondents on MgSO4 administration. The majority of the respondents (64.9%) have administered magnesium sulfate. The specific role of the midwives in preventing MgSO4 toxicity includes Calling a colleague (24.3%), giving an antidote (45.9%), regular BP monitoring (52.7%), and urine output and protein (55.4%). Also, 71.1% of the respondents prefer other medications for managing eclampsia. The research found a strong statistical correlation between the administration of MgSo4 and age (p=0.031), years of experience (p=0.001), and workplace (p=0.009). ConclusionMost of the responders had understanding of magnesium sulfate dosage. Additionally, some midwives reported to have administered MgSO4 to their patients in the past. The research found a substantial statistical correlation between the administration of MgSo4 and factors such as age, years of experience, and workplace.