Is the policy of allowing a female labor companion feasible in developing countries? Results from a cross sectional study among Sri Lankan practitioners

Senanayake, Hemantha; Wijesinghe, R. D.; Nayar, Kesavan Rajasekharan

doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1578-z

Cited by 18 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The evident practical support of the birth companion during late pregnancy might have helped the primigravid women to work through their childbirth fears and develop childbirth confidence in line with their sociocultural values and expectations. This finding is similar to the Senanayake et al study that reported on the impact the presence of a birth companion from the mother's social network had on providing support to the woman giving birth [46]. We anticipated minimal changes in terms of birth companion support between the study groups because, in Malawi, the female support person is a prerequisite element for hospital delivery and maternity waiting home admission at a birthing facility, in line with the BP/CR strategy [19].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Efficacy of companion-integrated childbirth preparation for childbirth fear, self-efficacy, and maternal support in primigravid women in Malawi

Munkhondya

Chirwa

et al. 2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: In resource-limited settings, childbirth remains a matter of life and death. High levels of childbirth fear in primigravid women are inevitable. To date, few studies have explored interventions to reduce childbirth fear in primigravid women. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of companion-integrated childbirth preparation (C-ICP) during late pregnancy for reducing childbirth fear and improving childbirth self-efficacy, birth companion support, and other selected pregnancy outcomes in primigravid women. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out using a non-equivalent control group design to recruit a sample of 70 primigravid women in hospital maternity waiting homes in the intervention and control groups, with 35 in each group. The primigravid women and their birth companions in the intervention group received two sessions of companion-integrated childbirth preparation, whereas the control group received routine care. A questionnaire that incorporated the childbirth attitude questionnaire (CAQ), the childbirth self-efficacy inventory (CBSEI), the birth companion support questionnaire (BCSQ), and a review checklist of selected pregnancy outcomes was used to collect data. Pretest and post-test data were analyzed using simple linear regression. Beta coefficients were adjusted at a 95% confidence interval with statistical significance set at a P-value of < 0.05 using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25.Results: At pretest, mean scores were similar in the intervention and control groups. At post-test, being in the intervention group significantly decreased childbirth fears (β: = − .866, t (68) = − 14.27, p < .001) and significantly increased childbirth self-efficacy (β: = .903, t (68) = 17.30, p < .001). In addition, being in the intervention group significantly increased birth companion support (β: = − 0.781, t (68) = 10.32, p < .001). However, no statistically significant differences regarding pregnancy outcomes were observed between the study groups (Mann-Whiney U test, p > .05). Conclusion:The findings of our study suggest that C-ICP is a promising intervention to reduce childbirth fear while increasing childbirth self-efficacy and maternal support. We recommend the inclusion of C-ICP for primigravid women during late pregnancy in resource-limited settings.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Efficacy of companion-integrated childbirth preparation for childbirth fear, self-efficacy, and maternal support in primigravid women in Malawi

Munkhondya

Chirwa

et al. 2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another study done to understand the feasibility of engaging birth companions within the health facilities of developing countries, showed 58.8 % of obstetricians did not allow labor companions in their wards [11]. The reasons mentioned for this practice were similar to the hindrances described in our study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…The questionnaire is adopted from a similar study that was conducted in Sri Lanka. [11] In-depth interview was undertaken by the principal investigator, KG, among 3 midwives and 4 residents who were working in the labor ward during the study period. The interviewer used interview guide.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth Companions, Health workers perspective: Mixed Method Study in St. Paul’s Hospital and Millennium Medical College and its Catchment Centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Gizachew

Getinet

Bekele

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Birth companions have been shown to improve quality of care provided to laboring women. Various studies have shown the benefits of companion during child birth. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of health care providers towards the involvement of birth companions during child birth in St Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) and its selected catchment health centers. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional study which was supplemented by qualitative study design which employed phenomenological design was conducted using in depth interview of health care providers who were on practice during the study period in SPHMMC. Result: The study included a total 58 health care providers. The finding from the study showed that great proportion of health care providers involved in the study (90 %) have positive attitude towards involvement of birth companions but majority 82.4 % didn’t allow birth companions. The commonest reasons mentioned for not involving companions include fear of breach of privacy, interference with routine medical care and risk of litigation/complaints.Conclusion and Recommendation: The findings from this study showed that majority of the health care providers are against the practice of involving birth companions. Since involvement of birth companions is one way to ensure the quality of care provided there should be an effort to increase the knowledge of health professionals on benefits of birth companions. There is also a need for improvement of the work setup. Simple measures like providing screens, providing separate rooms for laboring and post-partum women will have a significant impact on the quality of care provided.

show abstract

“…There is evidence that PCMC has not been given enough attention in Sri Lanka’s maternal care system [ 16 – 20 ]. Indeed, despite explicit WHO recommendations for labor companionship as a low-cost intervention to improve labor outcomes [ 16 ] and its inclusion in Sri Lankan national policy [ 17 ], a recent survey highlighted that nearly 60% of consultant obstetricians did not allow labour companions in their wards [ 18 ]. Although few studies have explored the area of mistreatment and abuse of women during pregnancy in south Asia, existing qualitative reports suggest a tendency for discriminatory behavior (such as verbal, emotional and even sexual abuse) and a diffuse normalization of disrespectful and abusive treatment of female patients [ 19 , 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation among experience of person-centered maternity care, provision of care and women’s satisfaction: Cross sectional study in Colombo, Sri Lanka

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Person-centered maternity care (PCMC) is defined as care which is respectful of and responsive to women’s and families’ preferences, needs, and values. In this cross-sectional study we aimed to evaluate the correlations among the degree of PCMC implementation, key indicators of provision of care, and women’s satisfaction with maternity care in Sri Lanka. Degree of PCMC implementation was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Provision of good key practices was measured with the World Health Organization (WHO) Bologna Score, whose items include: 1) companionship in childbirth; 2) use of partogram; 3) absence of labor stimulation; 4) childbirth in non-supine position; 5) skin-to-skin contact. Women’s overall satisfaction was assessed on a 1–10 Likert scale. Among 400 women giving birth vaginally, 207 (51.8%) had at least one clinical risk factor and 52 (13.0%) at least one complication. The PCMC implementation mean score was 42.3 (95%CI 41.3–43.4), out of a maximum score of 90. Overall, while 367 (91.8%) women were monitored with a partogram, and 293 (73.3%) delivered non-supine, only 19 (4.8%) did not receive labour stimulation, only 38 (9.5%) had a companion at childbirth, and 165 (41.3%) had skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth. The median total satisfaction score was 7 (IQR 5–9). PCMC implementation had a moderate correlation with women’s satisfaction (r = 0.58), while Bologna score had a very low correlation both with satisfaction (r = 0.12), and PCMC (r = 0.20). Factors significantly associated with higher PCMC score were number of pregnancies (p = 0.015), ethnicity (p<0.001), presence of a companion at childbirth (p = 0.037); absence of labor stimulation (p = 0.019); delivery in non-supine position (p = 0.016); and skin-to-skin contact (p = 0.005). Study findings indicate evidence of poor-quality care across several domains of mistreatment in childbirth in Sri Lanka. In addition, patient satisfaction as an indicator of quality care is inadequate to inform health systems reform.

show abstract

Is the policy of allowing a female labor companion feasible in developing countries? Results from a cross sectional study among Sri Lankan practitioners

Cited by 18 publications

References 9 publications

Efficacy of companion-integrated childbirth preparation for childbirth fear, self-efficacy, and maternal support in primigravid women in Malawi

Efficacy of companion-integrated childbirth preparation for childbirth fear, self-efficacy, and maternal support in primigravid women in Malawi

Birth Companions, Health workers perspective: Mixed Method Study in St. Paul’s Hospital and Millennium Medical College and its Catchment Centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Correlation among experience of person-centered maternity care, provision of care and women’s satisfaction: Cross sectional study in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About