Abstract
BACKGROUND: Existing evidence indicates an increasing burden of puerperal sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa. Across the world, due to a lack of self-care practice and less attention to puerperal sepsis, postpartum women are exposed to major disorders and life-threatening conditions, leading to a lower quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of puerperal sepsis and self-care practices related to the prevention of puerperal sepsis. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 postpartum women in Gurage zone public hospitals from July to August 2024. A systematic sampling technique was employed to get the representative sample. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were done to identify factors associated with outcome variables; a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: In this study, the response rate was 98.8%. The overall good knowledge and self-care practice were found to be 40.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 36, 46) and 29.3% (95% CI: 25, 34), respectively. Educational status (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.85 and AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.64, 5.43), occupation (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.2, 3.4), and antenatal care (ANC) contact (AOR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.23, 2.97) were associated with knowledge of puerperal sepsis. Multiparous (AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.14), ANC contact (AOR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.81), and knowledge (AOR = 4.3; 95% CI: 2.14, 9.31) were factors associated with the self-care practice of puerperal sepsis prevention. CONCLUSIONS: This finding showed that 70.7% of postpartum women lacked good self-care practices of puerperal sepsis prevention. Hence, counseling and enhancing their knowledge of self-care practices should be provided to women to increase their awareness regarding puerperal sepsis prevention and self-care.