Respectful Maternity Care Initiative: A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Patient Experience
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Respectful maternity care is crucial for positive birthing experiences.
• Assessing patient-reported outcomes is vital for healthcare quality improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the standards of respectful maternity care provided in a public hospital.
• To assess birthing women's experiences regarding privacy, dignity, and informed consent.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to birthing women to gather feedback.
• Care standards were evaluated across key areas: privacy, harm, dignity, attention, and informed consent.

Main Results:

• Nearly all women reported satisfaction with privacy (0% dissatisfied) and dignity (95% satisfied).
• No women reported experiencing physical harm or ill-treatment.
• High satisfaction rates were observed for informed consent (95.7%) and dignity (95%).
• A small percentage (1.9%) reported delayed attention when needed.

Conclusions:

• The majority of birthing women experienced respectful maternity care at the public hospital.
• Findings indicate a high level of patient satisfaction with maternity services provided.