Implementing delayed umbilical cord clamping in Nepal-Delivery care staff's perceptions and attitudes towards changes in practice.

aimTo explore delivery care staff's perceptions and attitudes towards changes in practice of umbilical cord clamping in order to identify work culture barriers and enablers for improved clinical practice and implementation of the new guidelines on cord clamping.

methodA purposive sampling strategy was used to include delivery staff at two major hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepal for focus group discussions. Key informant interviews were conducted with the ward in-charges and skilled birth attendant trainers at the respective hospitals. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

resultEight focus group discussions altogether with 34 delivery care staff working in the labor room and birthing units, and 12 key informant interviews with skilled birth attendant trainers/supervisors and ward in-charges from both hospitals participated in the study. Participants had positive attitudes towards delayed cord clamping as it was not perceived to be a difficult task and as they perceived it to be beneficial for mother and child. The "will to do good", and a high level of trust both in the hierarchical system as well as in scientific evidence were identified as promoters of change. Several barriers were mentioned, such as maternal or fetal medical conditions and physical settings, as constraints to perform delayed cord clamping. They also mentioned difficulties in adopting new guidelines due to habitual practice, lack of formal training and poor coherence within the work team. In order to bring change to the practice, participants highlighted that officially approved national and institutional protocols and regular training are crucial.

conclusionDue to poor coherence within the health system and lack of national or institutional protocols, delivery staff has to rely on their own initiative to develop skills and are left to informal decision making, and are therefore hesitant to apply new routines. In order to change cord clamping practices to align with evidence and policies health-care staff needs to be better supported by the governance structures of the health system, with clear and approved guidelines made available and coherent training and support.