Referral from other health facilities

Referral cases may arrive with pre-existing complications that prompted transfer. Delays or suboptimal monitoring before transfer can worsen fetal condition before arrival. Regional health authorities were advised to improve inter-facility referral systems for timely and effective handover care. Referral from another health facility was associated with 3.39 times higher odds of NRFHRPs than direct home admission. Referral reasons included NRFHRPs, prolonged labour, antepartum haemorrhage, cephalopelvic disproportion, malpresentation, and premature rupture of membranes.