Abstract:

The aim of this descriptive study is to evaluate the quality of prenatal care (PNC) provided by midwives in community health centers. This study was conducted in Yozgat city center between April 6th and May 19th of 2005. The questionnaire form was applied to mothers having a child under a year of age (n=303). All the data were collected through the questionnaire, which consisted of 48 questions relating to their last pregnancy. Data were analyzed by chi-square and correlation. Of those who participated in the study, 47,9% had graduated from ≤primary school, 7,3% were employed for wages, 5,9% were under twenty years of age, 6% were thirty-five and over. Average age was 26±4,9. Findings show that 48.9% of pregnant women were visited by midwives at their homes during the prenatal period while 88.1% of pregnant women went to a community health center for at least one prenatal checkup by a midwife.Forty one point three percent of the women reported that they had received adequate PNC -at least four times-, and 20,5% had received high quality PNC, 70,6% had received training, 28,4% had received adequate training by midwives. Nearly 3/5 of the mothers were checked and one out of three was given training during their prenatal period in the community health centers in the city center. The number and the adequate of PNC provided were not different in terms of sociodemographic characteristics of women. Both the number and the quality of PNC provided by midwives working in community health centers are inadequate. It was suggested, knowledge level of women about pregnancy affects quality of antenatal care and to increase quality of antenatal care importance should be given to antenatal education

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