USING THE DELPHI METHOD TO VALIDATE INDICATORS OF RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE FOR HIGH RESOURCE COUNTRIES

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Healthcare Quality Measurement
• Perinatal Research

Background:

• Consistent measurement of respectful maternity care (RMC) is currently lacking.
• There is a need for standardized indicators to assess RMC globally.
• Previous research has not established a consensus on RMC measurement tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess consensus among experts regarding indicators of respectful maternity care (RMC).
• To develop a validated registry of indicators for measuring RMC in perinatal settings.
• To identify key domains and specific items that define RMC.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi methodology was employed with a multidisciplinary expert panel.
• A comprehensive set of 201 indicators from global literature was assessed over two rounds.
• Experts rated indicators for importance, relevance, clarity, and ranked priority across 17 domains.

Main Results:

• In Round One, 191 indicators met a content validation index threshold of 0.80.
• Fourteen indicators achieved strong consensus and support from the panel.
• Analysis revealed variability in agreement between rounds, preventing stability assessment.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully generated a registry of indicators for respectful maternity care (RMC).
• These indicators provide a foundation for consistent measurement in perinatal care research.
• Further refinement and validation of the indicator registry are recommended for clinical application.