Impacts of disrespectful care and abusive care practices in maternity units and potential interventions to improve the quality of care in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A narrative review

Abstract

This review article explored the impacts of disrespectful care and abusive care practices and the potential interventions to eliminate those practices. Respectful maternity care is a fundamental right for all women. It ensures that women are able to exercise their rights in maternity care. However, research studies have shown the recent prevalence of poor‐quality care for women in maternity units in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The literature on this topic was searched on PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Science Direct/ Elsevier, and SCOPUS. A total of 24 qualitative and quantitative research articles were included. Thematic analysis was conducted by using the six steps. Impacts are coded on topics including psychological impacts due to disrespectful and abusive care practices, impact on the care process, normalization of the absence of care, suppression of knowledge regarding the labor process, and poor obstetric outcomes. Interventions are coded on topics including programs for health professionals to improve care, education and empowerment programs targeting the women and community, enacting policies and guidelines regarding disrespectful and abusive care practices and improving the facilities in the healthcare system. The majority of the evidenced‐based interventions were multi‐component and tailored to the needs of a particular setting. More research evidence is needed to inform the healthcare authorities and policymakers to transform these potential interventions into practice. Future research should clearly document the effectiveness of various combinations of interventions, feasibility, cost‐effectiveness, and outcomes.

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“…For instance, less than half of women that delivered in the health care facility receive health examination 1-hour post-labor. Almost one third of the OPD patient felt problem such as the disrespectful care, rushed consultation, poor health education, and long queues [9,10]. This study also mentions that less than half of the service user belief that the health care facility is working well [9].…”