Mothers'views of Care in Labour

Abstract

Summary The management of labour was the main focus of interest in this study of mothers' views of their obstetric care. Most of the mothers, 63 per cent, were satisfied with their care by both the doctors and midwives during labour and delivery. Those who were not satisfied rarely questioned the technical competence of the staff but were more concerned with the manner in which care was provided. Thirteen per cent stated that they were not attended by a doctor at any stage during labour or delivery and 43 per cent said they were left alone for at least five minutes; both groups of mothers were more anxious during labour and delivery and were less satisfied with their overall care than those who did not have such experiences. The mothers' feelings about the various procedures which they had during labour and delivery, including induction, were generally favourable. Although overall satisfaction with care was expressed by 77 per cent of the mothers, the findings suggest that obstetricians and midwives need to give greater consideration to the social and psychological aspects of patient care.

Maternal satisfaction with childbirth and intrapartum analgesia in nulliparous labour

“…Some authors have suggested that questionnaires immediately postdelivery may be biased towards more positive responses, as women are not able to discriminate between the birth of the child and the actual care received 16 . While this may be valid, the disadvantage of delaying questionnaires is the reduction in response rates obtained.…”

A simple tool to measure patient perceptions of operative birth

“…Unfortunately, about one in five women are dissatisfied with their labour & delivery, particularly operative delivery, [2][3][4] often due to poor communication with the medical staff. This can lead to sexual dysfunction and aversion to further pregnancy or birth, 4,7,8 as well as an increase in complaints and litigation. 9,10 At unit level, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have advocated that maternal satisfaction surveys should be integral part of maternity 'dashboards'.…”

The importance of non‐technical performance for teams managing postpartum haemorrhage: video review of 99 obstetric teams

“…An example of excellent behaviour in this category was that all team members introduced themselves directly to the woman and her partner and informed the woman before medication administration or any examination. Even though communication with the woman and her partner is of paramount importance for the birth experience and comfort, this is also challenging for the team managing the emergency, as communication may decline during PPH management. Therefore, this competence can and must be learned .…”