Women’s Expectations and Satisfaction with the Quality of Antenatal Care at the Primary Health Care Centers in Unaizah City

Abstract

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is an aspect of preventive medicine that aims to promote maternal and fetal health. The quality of ANC has a great impact on the pregnancy experience and outcome. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess women’s expectations and satisfaction with the quality of ANC provided at primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Unaizah city, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women seeking ANC at PHCCs in Unaizah city, during 2021. Two-stage cluster sampling method was used for selection of participants from 5 randomly selected PHCCs. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire and SPSS software was used for analyzing data. Results: A total of 204 women participated in the survey; 54.5% were 30 years or less in age and 50.5% had university or higher degree. The majority of women were satisfied regarding overall information received (n=189, 92.7%), care received from physicians (n=201, 98.5%) and general quality of the health care provided (n=189, 92.7%). However, 22.5% of the participants were dissatisfied with waiting time at the clinic and 32.3% either did not receive any instructions or thought that the instructions were insufficient regarding danger signs and seeking emergency care during pregnancy. Out of a total 15 score for adequacy of information, the mean score for 31-50 years women was 12.37±3.24 while it was10.63±4.02 for 18-30 years age group (p=0.001). The pregnancy number (p=0.015) and the number of children (p=0.001) were also statistically significantly associated with perceived adequacy of information received during ANC visit. Conclusions: The overall satisfaction with the quality of ANC was high. However, a few aspects of services need improvement including waiting time and the instructions about danger signs and seeking emergency care. Regular satisfaction surveys should be carried out to identify problem areas and to improve the quality of services. Key words: antenatal care, expectations, satisfaction, primary health care centers, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia