Effects of a job aid-supported intervention during antenatal care visit in rural Tanzania

Abstract

Background: In developing countries, nurses’ counseling during antenatal care (ANC) visits remains insufficient. We examined the effects of a job aid-supported intervention on understanding the danger signs and improving the caring behaviors of nurses to women in rural Tanzania. Methods: This was a hospital-based research using a quasi-experimental pre-post study design. All nurses engaged in ANC counseling participated in a three-hour training covering counseling skills, pregnancy danger signs, use of a job aid, and quality of caring behaviors. The sample consisted of women who attended the ANC clinic and had no intrauterine fetal death. The primary outcome was perception of receiving information on the danger signs by women. The secondary outcome was impressions of women regarding the caring behaviors of nurses. Women answered questionnaires following ANC counseling (baseline) and two weeks postintervention (endline). Results: Of 318 women, 148 participated at baseline and 170 at endline. Regarding receiving information on danger signs, the mean baseline score of 4.92 (SD = 2.99) and the mean endline score of 6.66 (SD = 2.38) were significantly different (t = 5.646, p < .01). Regarding impressions of the nurses’ caring behavior, the mean total baseline score of 26.17 (range, 6–30; SD = 11.19) and the mean total endline score of 27.63 (SD = 6.81) were significantly different (t = 4.299, p < .01). Conclusion: The job aid-supported intervention during ANC counseling found differences in the responses to receiving information on the danger signs of pregnancy and in identifying the caring behaviors of nurses to women. Keywords: Pre-post study design, Pregnancy, Teaching materials, Antenatal care, Health knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Tanzania