Discharge time following natural birth in Uganda: Do non-clinical factors explain the trend?

Abstract Background: The paper examines the socioeconomic, obstetric, and child factors, associated with the mothers’ length of stay in the hospital following vaginal delivery in Uganda. Method: Self-reported data from the individual record were extracted from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) with a sample of 10220 women aged 15 - 49 who had their last birth in the last 5 years preceding the survey was used. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between socio-economic, obstetrics, and child factors, and hospital length of stay. Results: The study found maternal age, marital status, wealth index, access to radio, place of delivery, child size, the child being a twin, and the child's health checked before discharge, to be associated with the hospital length of stay. Conclusion: In conclusion, the risks of early discharge following vaginal delivery increased for mothers who were older; mothers from middle and rich income households; mothers giving birth in private health facilities; mothers accessing the media; mothers giving birth to big-sized children and giving birth to one child; and for infants not checked before discharge. Thus, healthcare professionals need to be mindful of the above socioeconomic and infant related factors when planning in-patient and out-patient care.