WOMEN'S SATISFACTION AND EXPERIENCES WITH QUALITY OF CARE AT BIRTH IN MITYANA DISTRICT, UGANDA

Abstract

Background: Poor quality of care at birth contributes directly or indirectly to the poor maternal outcomes. Women’s satisfaction and experiences with quality of care at birth in health facilities have become a public health concern. If not addressed have a great impact on maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality estimated at 336/100,000 live births in Uganda. Critical are the current World Health Organisation standards four and five of effective communication, respect and preservation of dignity. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess women’s experiences and associated factors with quality of care at birth in Mityana District, Uganda. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional study design. A total of 384 women participated in the study. Four focus group discussions and eight In-depth interviews were conducted among women aged 15-49 years at the postnatal care clinics of selected health facilities who had delivered six weeks prior to the start of data collection in four health facilities at the level of health centre IV between March and April 2018 in Mityana District. Factor scores were used to establish women’s level of satisfaction with the quality of care at birth, Modified Poisson regression to determine the factors associated with women's experiences with the quality of care at birth in the selected health facilities. Results: The majority of the respondents were aged 20-29 years (69% (263/381) and57% (161/381) were living in the rural areas and (30 %) were not satisfied with the quality of care at birth. Factors associated with dissatisfaction with the quality of care included: The prevalence of bad experiences with quality of care at birth among the middle-income earners was 20% lower compared to the poorest wealth quintile (APR 0.8; 95% CI: 0.7-1.0). However, this relationship had borderline statistical significance. Conclusion: Women were generally not satisfied with the quality of care at birth in different health facilities.