Third stage of Labor Practice and Associated Factors among Skilled Birth Attendants Working in Gamo and Gofa Zone Public Health Facility, Southern, Ethiopia:

Background: The third stage is the most perilous for the woman because of the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Proper management of the third stage of labor is an effective intervention to prevent maternal mortality. Objective: This study aimed to assess the status of active management of the third stage of labor practice and associated factors among obstetric care providers working in public health facilities of Gamo and Gofa zone, southern Ethiopia Methods: In this institution -based cross-sectional study, 356 health care providers who were working in public health facilities of the Gamo and Gofa zone were involved. Interview administered, a pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire with an observational checklist was used to collect the data. Epi Data version 3.2 was used to code and enter data, which were analyzed using SPSS version 24. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable, and binary logistic regression analysis with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was carried out to determine the associations between predictor variables and outcome variables Result:  The finding of the study revealed that 48.1% of health care providers have a good practice on Active management of the third stage of labor. Clinical years of experience (AOR = 4.32; 95%CI: (2.78-9.10), having taking in-service basic emergency obstetric care (B-EmOC) training (AOR = 2.34; 95%CI: 1.87-4.46), having a satisfactory delivery room (AOR=1.86 95% CI 1.32-2.24) were significantly associated with a Good practice active management of the third stage of labor Conclusion: The finding of this study showed that the practice of active management of the third stage of labor was poor. Clinical years of experience, having a satisfactory delivery room, and taking in-service training were some of the factors associated with good practice towards active management of the third stage of labor. Providing competency-based training and promoting the use of up-to-date clinical guidelines and ensuring regular training will be needed to improve the practice of the third stage of labor