Postnatal care: development of a psychometric multidimensional satisfaction questionnaire (the WOMBPNSQ) to assess women's views

Abstract

BackgroundPostnatal care is the neglected area of pregnancy care, despite repeated calls to improve it. Changes would require assessment, which should include women's views. No suitable satisfaction questionnaire exists to enable this. AimTo develop a multidimensional psychometric postnatal satisfaction self-completion instrument. SettingTen maternity services in south west England from 2006-2009. MethodSources for questions were literature review, fieldwork, and related published instruments. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was used to develop the final WOMen's views of Birth Postnatal Satisfaction Questionnaire (WOMBPNSQ) version. Validity and internal reliability were assessed. Questionnaires were mailed 6-8 weeks postnatally (with one reminder). ResultsThe WOMBPNSQ comprises 36 seven-point Likert questions (13 dimensions including general satisfaction). Of 300 women, 166 (55.3%) replied; of these 155 (95.1%) were white, 152 (93.8%) were married or cohabiting, 135 (81.3%) gave birth in a consultant unit, 129 (78.6%) had a vaginal delivery; and 100 (60.6%) were multiparous. The 12 specific dimensions were: support from professionals or partner, or social support; care from GP and health visitor; advice on contraception, feeding baby, the mother's health; continuity of care; duration of inpatient stay; home visiting; pain after birth. These have internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha varying from 0.624 to 0.902). Various demographic and clinical characteristics were significantly associated with specific dimensions. ConclusionWOMBPNSQ could be used to assess existing or planned changes to maternity services or as a screening instrument, which would then enable in-depth qualitative assessment of areas of dissatisfaction. Its convergent validity and test-retest reliability are still to be assessed but are an improvement upon existing postnatal satisfaction questionnaires.

Associated factors of labor satisfaction and predictor of postnatal satisfaction in the north-east of Peninsular Malaysia

“…Different instruments were developed to determine women's satisfaction with labor and childbirth for English-speaking women [10][11][12][13]. These questionnaires assess the woman's satisfaction with childbirth as a multidimensional construct, with each dimension, including various aspects relevant to measuring satisfaction [14].…”

“…The Women's Views of Birth Labour Satisfaction Questionnaire (WOMBLSQ) is the oldest and remains a sound instrument that not only assesses the dimensions which are common to most scales but also pain relief dimension that has been suggested as a critical factor for satisfaction [15]. The (WOMBLSQ) [12] and Women's Views of Birth Postnatal Satisfaction Questionnaire (WOMBPNSQ) [13] are multidimensional and sensitive to differences in settings and between women. It has the capacity to reflect the most relevant aspect of maternal satisfaction with care during labor.…”

Applicability of the ReproQ client experiences questionnaire for quality improvement in maternity care

“…It is unclear if clients in other countries have the same importance ratings, experiences and MIDs as Dutch clients. Other self-report instruments in maternity care, such as the Women’s Experience of Maternity Care Questionnaire of the NHS, overall indicate very good experiences ( Peterson et al , 2005 ; Redshaw & Heikkila , 2010 ; Smith , 2001 , 2011 ). Therefore, the MID in other developed countries will probably be in about same magnitude as our MID estimates.…”

Examining Japanese women's preferences for a new style of postnatal care facility and its attributes

“…Regarding the content of postnatal care services, Smith found that 12 specific dimensions are extremely important and affect women's satisfaction with postnatal care: support from health professionals, a partner, or social support services; care from a general practitioner and health visitor; receiving advice about contraception, feeding the baby, and maternal health; continuity of care; duration of inpatient stay; home visits; and pain after childbirth. In addition, Johansson and others interviewed 21 Swedish‐speaking parents who had given birth to their first child after a normal pregnancy and delivery.…”