Postpartum mothers' perception on quality of intrapartum care in Naivasha district hospital labour ward

Abstract

Quality of intra-partum care is an important determinant of outcomes of pregnancy especially in minimizing intra-partum and post-partum related complications of pregnancy. The realization of Millennium Development Goal number 5 requires increased access to health services and improved provision of high quality delivery care including essential obstetric care. Therefore it is imperative to offer care that meets the clients' needs and which is acceptable to them. The aim of the study was to determine the post-partum mothers' perception on quality of intra-partum care at Naivasha District Hospital labour ward. This was a cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative study conducted at Naivasha District Hospital labour ward. One hundred and ninety five post-partum mothers were randomly selected. Questionnaires, a focus group discussion and a key informant interview were used to obtain data. Data collection took one and a half months to be complete. The quantitative data was then entered into SPSS computer software version 17.0 and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The chi square, fishers exact and logistic regression statistical methods were used to show the relationships between the variables. Statistical sign ificance was based on a cut off value of 0.05. Significant predictors for mothers' perception on quality of intra-partum care in Naivasha District Hospital labour ward were residence from the hospital (P = 0.03), cost of services (P = 0.007), comfort in the waiting rooms (P = 0.025) and availability of delivery beds (P= 0.017). A positive relationship also existed between mothers' perception on quality of intra-partum care and nurses attention to individual client's needs (P = 0.037). Mothers who rated nurses' attention to individual needs, cost of services, availability of delivery beds and comfort in waiting rooms as good were likely to have a positive perception on quality of intra-partum care. Those mothers who lived more than 4km away from the hospital were likely to have a negative perception. The study revealed that mothers delivering in Naivasha District Hospital labour ward perceive quality on intra-partum care as good. However, the study revealed that there was a discrepancy between the data collected using questionnaires and the focus group discussion. This was attributed to lack of awareness of what the mothers should expect from a health facility. It is important that the clients' rights are explained to the mothers or information on their rights displayed well for all to see; This enables them to judge the care they receive accurately. Community based studies are recommended to determine mothers' perception on quality of intra-partum care in other health facilities in the community. This can then be related to institutional based studies to give a wider perspective of client satisfaction in intrapartum services