Midwives’ Knowledge and Perceived Readiness for Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Luzon, Philippines: A Cross-Sectional Survey
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Objective: This study assessed midwives’ knowledge of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and perceived readiness to implement PMTCT measures in selected regions of Luzon, Philippines.
Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional analytic survey included 132 registered midwives from Region I, Region II, Region III, and the Cordillera Administrative Region of Luzon. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from hospitals, rural health units, birthing centers, and clinics. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire including demographic and professional characteristics, a 20-item PMTCT knowledge test, and a 12-item Likert-scale readiness measure. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation, Mann–Whitney U tests, and multiple and hierarchical regression analyses.
Findings: The mean PMTCT knowledge score was 13.42 ± 2.51 out of 20, equivalent to 67.1% correct responses. Knowledge was higher in counseling and communication (77.3%), legal-ethical issues (74.5%), and transmission and epidemiology (70.6%), but lower in screening and diagnosis (54.0%) and antiretroviral-related interventions (59.3%). Overall perceived readiness was high (mean= 4.01/5), with motivational indicators exceeding structural support. Knowledge and readiness were not significantly correlated (ρ= 0.006, p= 0.947). Regression analysis showed that regular HIV training (β= −0.31, p=0.002) and direct HIV care exposure (β= −0.20, p= 0.030) significantly predicted readiness, while knowledge and years of experience did not.
Conclusion: Midwives showed moderate PMTCT knowledge and high perceived readiness, but readiness was driven more by training and clinical exposure than knowledge alone.
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