Women’s Views and Experience of Respectful Maternity Care While Delivering in Three Regional Referral Hospitals of Bhutan

Abstract

Background: Labour and childbirth represent one of the most vulnerable periods in women’s life and ensuring the quality of respectful maternity care during labour and childbirth still remains challenging. There are activities to promote respect for women’s right, including respect for their autonomy, dignity; feelings, choices and preference. However, little has been known about the elements of respectful maternity care provided to women during labour and childbirth in health facilities. Objectives: The purpose of the study is to explore the attitudes, views, behaviors and emotional experienced by women related to labour and childbirth and to describe women’s satisfaction with RMC in three regional hospitals of Bhutan. Method: Cross-sectional study with the sample size of 426 from JDWNRH in Thimphu, CRRH in Gelephu and ERRH in Mongar. All women who delivered in November - December 2018 were included in the study. The structured questionnaire was used, relevant literature sources were reviewed and finalized in our setting and was piloted in Bajo Hospital after approved by Research Ethics Board of Health (REBH). Descriptive analysis done and all the information gathered are presented in the form of frequencies, percentages and number for categorical variables. The scientific significance shows in foul language (0.033) and scolding (0.020). Results: Satisfaction rate ranged from excellent to unsatisfactory concerning the services, women stated excellent (37.10%), very good (31.20%), Good (20.20%), mixed feeling (9.20%), rather unsatisfactory (1.90%) and unsatisfactory (0.50%). Concerning the whole process of labour and childbirth, dreadful experiences was (41.8%). Conclusion: There is need to improve on communication for information, permission, policy for dignity and privacy for women. Need to include in the pre-service curriculum for nurses and health workers and to provide in-service education on RMC to all health personnel providing maternity services