Behaviors and Attitudes of Obstetricians in Turkey Related to Cord Clamping, Cord Milking, and Skin-To-Skin Contact

Abstract

This study was planned to evaluate obstetricians' practices of umbilical cord clamping, milking, and skin-toskin contact applications and to determine the related variables. Material and methodsA total of 522 obstetricians participated in the study. Participants were reached via the internet and a 15item questionnaire was applied about umbilical cord clamping, cord milking, and skin-to-skin contact. Mann-Whitney U test and Student's t-test were used for continuous data and Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for categorical data in determining the difference between groups. For the multivariate analysis, the possible factors identified with univariate analyses were entered into the logistic regression analysis to determine further independent predictors of delayed clamping. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software (version 20, IBM Corp, Armonk, USA). ResultsIt was determined that 234 (44.8%) of the participants clamped the umbilical cord early whereas 288 (55.2%) clamped it late. It was found that the delayed clamping rates of physicians working in public hospitals were significantly lower than those working in private (p<0.001). It was observed that 132 of the participants (25.3%) did not milk the cord and 180 (34.5%) of them applied it continuously, and no significant difference was found between physicians working in the public and private sectors (p=0.130). It was observed that 384 (73.6%) physicians applied skin-to-skin contact. In the multivariate regression analysis, it was determined that working status in a private hospital with a 3.6 odds ratio (OR) (95% CI = 2.0-6.3) and a low number of patients examined daily with a 1.2 OR (95%CI= 1.0-1.4) were the most important independent factors affecting the choice of delayed clamping. ConclusionIt is seen that the most important parameter affecting the birth practices of physicians in our country is the employment status in public or private institutions. The age and professional experience of the physicians who clamp the umbilical cord late were found to be higher. Obstetricians are at the key point in obstetrics practice, and the experience of physicians and the type of institution they work with affect these practices.

Factors associated with delayed umbilical cord clamping in public health facilities in Debremarkos town, northwest Ethiopia

“…Despite various recommendations, it is observed that there are differences in health care providers’ birth practices and cord clamping times all over the world (15,16). However, in our country, Ethiopia, there is little information regarding the current timing of cord clamping, and there is no study evaluating the factors affecting the timing of cord clamping.…”