Assessment of knowledge about antenatal care among providers and consumers of maternity care in MCH centers in Alexandria

ABSTRACT

Better standards of antenatal care had contributed to the reduction of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of nurse midwives and consumers of MCH centers about antenatal care, to reveal how far consumers' knowledge differs from that of the providers of the service as an indication of effective communication between them. The study was carried out on all nurses working in Alexandria MCH centers. The sample covered 107 nurse midwives. A sample of 250 pregnant women was randomly chosen from five MCH centers. Data was collected using the questionnaire interview method. The study revealed that knowledge of both midwives and consumers about antenatal care was unsatisfactory. This could be attributed to the inadequate educational and counselling role played by health personnel and also to the lack of communication between nurses and mothers