Assessment of respectful maternity care during childbirth: Experiences among mothers in Manipur

Abstract

Background: The relationship between the lack of quality care and adverse maternal outcomes is being highlighted globally. Respectful maternity care includes respect for women autonomy, dignity, feelings, privacy, choices and freedom from ill treatment, coercion, and consideration for personal preferences including option for companionship during the maternity care. Objectives: This study planned to determine the prevalence and types of disrespect and abuse among mothers during childbirth and its associated factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 231 women having children <2 years, who had undergone institutional deliveries and accessing immunization clinics during October to December 2018 using a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the Person-Centered Maternity Care Scale, a validated instrument which gives a holistic measure of women's experiences during childbirth wherein the questions were grouped under seven domains. Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of the respondents was 28.9 ± 5.8 years. The prevalence of any form of abuse present was 96.5% with the highest found in “Facility and Environment” Domain (77.5%). Women delivering in public tertiary care facility were significantly more likely to face more abuse in the domains of “Dignity and Respect,” “Support and Care,” “Facility and Environment,” “Predictability and Transparency,” as compared to other types of health facilities (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Nearly almost all of the respondents (96.5%) faced some form of abuse in one domain or the other. There is a need for greater action, dialog, research, and advocacy on this important public health issue for promoting dignified maternal health-care services.

Keywords

• abuse
• childbirth
• disrespect
• maternity care
• respectful