Health Worker Familiarity with Maternal Mortality Cause Definitions in Kaduna State, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Maternal mortality remains a critical public health challenge in Nigeria, with a ratio exceeding 1,000 per 100,000 live births.Beyond timely access to care, health worker knowledge of maternal mortality causes and their clinical definitions is vital for accurate diagnosis, management, and surveillance.This study assessed health worker familiarity with clinical definitions of maternal death causes in Kaduna State and explored system-level influences.A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 596 maternal healthcare providers across primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities, both public and private.Respondents included doctors, nurses/midwives, community health officers (CHOs), community health extension workers (CHEWs), and ancillary staff.Data were collected using a structured questionnaire capturing demographics, professional background, and self-reported familiarity with clinical definitions of maternal death causes.Analysis employed descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression to examine associations with gender, cadre, education, facility type, and experience.Overall, 96.1% of participants reported familiarity with maternal death definitions.Postpartum hemorrhage (32%) and eclampsia (11%) were most frequently cited, followed by medical mismanagement (12%).Bivariate analysis showed no significant associations between familiarity and age, education, experience, cadre, or facility type.However, multivariable analysis identified male gender (aOR = 4.49; 95% CI: 1.07-18.9;p = 0.041) and CHO cadre (aOR ≈ 31.5;p = 0.017) as significant predictors.All doctors reported familiarity.In conclusion, maternal death cause familiarity is high across cadres and facilities in Kaduna.However, gender and cadre disparities highlight the need for equitable training opportunities, continuous capacity building, adequate resources, and strengthened surveillance systems to effectively reduce maternal mortality.