Predictors of Women's Satisfaction with Prenatal Care in a Canadian Setting

Prenatal care is a vital and important part of a healthy pregnancy, providing many maternal and health benefits. Despite Canada's publically funded health care system with universal access, inadequate rates of prenatal care continue to be observed. As a modifiable risk factor, the process variables that influence satisfaction with prenatal care in Canadian settings have received little attention. The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of satisfaction with prenatal care.

A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design was used to examine the relationships between expectations, interpersonal processes of care, the quality of prenatal care, personal characteristics, and the type of provider with overall satisfaction, and with four dimensions of satisfaction. A convenience sample of 216 pregnant women was surveyed using self-administered questionnaires with women in their third trimester. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify predictors of satisfaction.

The quality of prenatal care and provider interpersonal style together explained 80% of the variance in overall satisfaction. Patient-centered decision-making was a significant predictor of satisfaction with information, while having a midwife was a predictor of satisfaction with system characteristics. Expectations were not related to satisfaction.

Improving quality of care, provider interpersonal style and patient-centered decision making, and improving the structural characteristics of prenatal care may be effective in improving women's satisfaction and utilization of prenatal care.