Umbilical Cord Care Among Postnatal Mothers in Kibungo Hospital Catchment Area, Rwanda

Abstract

Background
 Infections contribute to 30% of the 2.5 million neonatal deaths that occur globally every year. A newly cut umbilical cord can be a pathway for bacteria to enter the vulnerable neonate and cause neonatal sepsis. Most infections are preventable with evidenced-based cord care.
 Objective
 To assess postnatal mothers’ knowledge and practice of umbilical cord care in the Kibungo Hospital catchment area in Rwanda.
 Methodology
 A descriptive cross-sectional study design and purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 224 postnatal mothers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data.
 
 Results
 A third of mothers (33%) had adequate knowledge, and a half (54%) had good umbilical cord care practice. The majority (70%) reported dry cord care practice, though many applied substances including Vaseline (23%) and Movit ointment (15%). There was a negative correlation between knowledge of cord care and substance applied to cord (R2=0.224, p=0.001), and days applied (R2=0.167, p=0.012).
 Conclusion
 The study population had low cord care knowledge. Health care providers need to educate mothers on the practice of allowing the cord to dry naturally, and discourage the use of harmful substances that delay cord separation and increase risk of sepsis and subsequent neonatal mortality.
 Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2020;3(2):167-180

Umbilical Cord Care Practices and Associated Factor Among Mothers of Neonates Visiting Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital Southwest Ethiopia 2021

“…The findings of this study were consistent with a study conducted in Nigeria (61.4%) 5 and Rwanda (54%). 11 However, the findings of this study were lower than those of studies conducted in Chit wan district (95%), 16 East Gojjam (94.6%), 17 Nepal (73%), 18 and Nigeria (82.0%). 19 This variation might be due to the study setting and multi-cultural variation among countries and regions.…”

“…Infections are responsible for 30% of the 2.5 million newborn fatalities that occur each year worldwide. 11 Bacteria can enter the susceptible neonate through a newly cut umbilical cord, causing neonatal sepsis. Most of the infections can be prevented using evidence-based cord care.…”

“…Numerous studies carried out in developing countries reported that mothers apply substances such as mustard oil, turmeric, cow dung, and antiseptic lotion to the cord stump. 5 , 11 , 19 Even though there are some studies which are conducted in developing countries, there was no study conducted in Ethiopia assessing umbilical cord care practice of mothers. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the umbilical cord care practices of mothers visiting Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital.…”

Multilevel analysis of individual and community level factors associated with the application of cow dung and oil on the umbilical cord stump in Ethiopia

“…Overall, the prevalence of cow dung and/or oil application on umbilical cord stumps in Ethiopia was 780 (10.88%) with 95% CI (10.18-11.62). This finding is lower than the studies from Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital Southwest Ethiopia (36.6%) (10), Gulomekada District Eastern Tigray (60%) (19), Nigeria (38.6%) and (67.3%) (20, 21), and Rwanda (54%) (22). This might be attributed to the difference in methods used, study settings, and sample size enrolled.…”

“…The variation might also be due to expanding health care coverage, increased awareness and information, and maternal health services now a day than before ( 23 ). In addition, in this study, we only took into account oil and cow dung, while other researchers took into account any substance applied to the umbilical cord stump ( 10 , 20 – 22 ), which may explain the lower prevalence of this practice in this study. Activities to promote positive behavior change regarding umbilical cord care should be practiced to more lower the prevalence of improper cord care and its consequence.…”