Utilisation of partogram at a district in the North West Province, South Africa

The partogram or partograph is a tool used to monitor the progress of labour and serves as a diagnostic tool for labour-related abnormalities such as prolonged labour, cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) and obstructed labour. Appropriate utilisation of the partogram aids health caregivers with early diagnosis and facilitates clinical judgement and interventions to prevent complications of abnormal labour. The partogram is thus a mandatory tool to be utilised to monitor the progress of labour for intrapartum care in South Africa.

This study aimed to assess and describe the utilisation of the partogram in a district of the North West Province.

The study was conducted in the private rooms of facilities rendering maternity services in the district.

A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. A purposive sampling was used to select healthcare facilities, and simple random sampling was employed to select plotted partograms. Data were collected using a checklist and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 22.

A total of 279 partograms were analysed. The average partogram utilisation was 20% correct and 80% substandard or not recorded. All files had partogram documents included.

A large percentage (80%) of the partograms were not completed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. There was a concern about high proportions of unrecorded parameters such as monitoring of foetal and maternal conditions, and the progress of labour.

The findings and recommendations of the study could improve partogram utilisation in maternity care.