A risk assessment for pregnancy using the World Health Organization classifying form in primary health-care facilities in Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

We present a cross-sectional survey of the pattern of high-risk pregnancies in randomly selected primary health-care facilities in Enugu, Nigeria, using the World Health Organization's classifying form. None of the 10 maternity homes studied had a standard risk screening tool. The age of the 299 women studied ranged from 16 to 42 years with a mean of 27.8 ± 6.7 years. Eighty-eight (29.4%) of them were nulliparous, 160 (53.5%) were multiparous and 51 (17.1%) grandmultiparous. One hundred and twenty (40.1%) respondents were in the high-risk category. Rhesus D-negative blood group parturients (42, 35.0%), previous perinatal deaths (29.2%) and multiple pregnancies (9.2%) were the most common risk factors. The prevalence of high-risk pregnancies significantly increased with maternal age and parity and was not influenced by an improved maternal educational attainment. The institution of screening for high-risk pregnancies is vital at the primary health-care level and must be emphasized and must be regularly audited.