Perceived quality and satisfaction of postnatal care among postpartum women in a tertiary care hospital: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Postnatal period is a critical area but still it is the most neglected aspect. Client satisfaction is an important indicator for the quality of health care and understanding women's view of the care provided is very crucial. Material and Methods: A descriptive study using cross-sectional design was conducted among postpartum women on day 1-3 day after normal delivery, which aimed to assess the perceived quality and satisfaction of postnatal care provided in the maternity wards of a tertiary care hospital of Western Maharashtra. Convenience sampling was used to assess the perceived quality and satisfaction of postnatal care. A self-structured questionnaire using Likert scale which comprised of three sections was used and a semi structured interview was conducted. The validity and reliability of the tool was tested. A total of 150 subjects were recruited in the study. Results: Among the 150 participants, majority of the study participants 36.7% were of age 18-22 years and 46.7% were educated till high school participants 102 (68%) were homemaker while 68% were homemaker. Among all 51.3% were prim parous women 56% participants delivered male baby and most (91.3%) of the babies were of normal birth weight. The study revealed that 54% had high perceived quality of care and 21.3% were not satisfied with the postnatal care provided. There was a moderately positive correlation (r=+0.48, n=150; p<0.0001) between perceived quality and satisfaction of postnatal care scores. There was no significant association between perceived quality of postnatal care and sociodemographic variables except occupation (F(2,147); p=0.013); between satisfaction and sociodemographic variables except family income (F(3,146); p=0.041). Conclusion:The findings concluded that care provider-related factors played a significant role towards maternal satisfaction levels. Individualised postnatal care must be provided. The study recommended the need for special training of nursing personnel to give importance to these identified salient areas and participation of nurses in policy making decisions and hospital designing.