Abstract
BackgroundPoor quality maternity care may lead to increased maternal dissatisfaction, and subsequent decreased utilization of health services or both. In a responsive health system, determining suitable delivery care, in the mother’s opinion, may lead to an improved quality of services and the mother’s satisfaction. In Rwanda, there is still limited knowledge and inadequate research regarding patient satisfaction and preferences, especially for women’s perceptions and needs during childbirth. This study captures rural women’s perception of good delivery care to understand aspects of care they consider important during childbirth.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in the Mibilizi District Hospital catchment area located 350 km from the capital, Kigali, in the Western Province of Rwanda. It includes 25 in-depth interviews with purposively sampled rural mothers who had delivered in the hospital and five hospital midwives. Content analysis was performed manually.ResultsWith regard to interpersonal relations at the health facility, the women agreed on the need for respectful treatment in areas of sufficient privacy and had distinct preferences for the gender of the birth attendant, or husband’s presence during delivery. The women make a great effort to deliver in a health care facility and therefore, they expect to be assisted in a professional and safe manner. These expectations can be met on a personal level, but at times are counteracted by structural deficiencies and staff shortages.ConclusionsIn gathering rural women’s perceptions of good delivery care, this study reveals what mothers in remote areas in Rwanda consider important during child birth. The women’s expectations, suggestions, and needs can enhance providers’ awareness of the women’s priorities during childbirth and serve as a guidepost for health services to increase the quality, acceptability and uptake of maternal health services.
Highlights
Poor quality maternity care may lead to increased maternal dissatisfaction, and subsequent decreased utilization of health services or both
A sub-Saharan low-income country whose health system was once paralyzed by the 1994 genocide, Rwanda is commended for significant progress in maternal health, and especially for improved access to health
The study presented here diverts the focus of childbirth circumstances to the women receiving the care and the inclusion of non-clinical aspects of care germane to maternal health, through listening to their voices
Summary
Poor quality maternity care may lead to increased maternal dissatisfaction, and subsequent decreased utilization of health services or both. Its health system is not spared from the aforementioned challenges facing health care in resource-limited settings These inadequacies affect the quality of maternal care and in particular intra-partum and delivery care since this is the time period that represents the highest number of maternal deaths [4]. Knowledge of the mother’s perception of her delivery experience and her non-clinical delivery needs may be instrumental in developing contextual and culturally sensitive strategies of delivery care and improving its quality [5]. Such knowledge may foster good practices leading to improved quality of services and subsequent mother satisfaction
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