European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE PERCEPTION AMONG POSTNATAL WOMEN DURING FACILITY BASED CHILDBIRTH IN SELECTED HOSPITALS OF NEPAL

Jyoti Bhetwal*, Bharati Sharma, Bimala Chhetri, and Priya Thapa

ABSTRACT

Background and objectives: Respectful maternity care (RMC) is an approach to place maternal health rights in the broader context of human rights. To intercept disrespectful and abusive behavior in the health care setting in order to increase facility-based deliveries implementation of respectful maternity care is the key. Material and methods: A phenomenological research design was utilized to explore the lived experiences of women during facility-based childbirth in the tertiary level hospitals of Nepal. The lived experience of women was explored in their residences to understand their experiences during labor without any biases. A total of eight postnatal women who had given birth within 1 month of the data collection were interviewed until the saturation of the data was achieved. Data analysis was done manually and verbatim was transcribed by using audio records, memos, and field notes. Each transcript was read carefully and findings were systematically categorized to identify six major themes. Content analysis approach was used to analyze the data and identify themes based on components of respectful maternity care. Result and conclusion: Six major themes emerged from the analysis of the verbatim namely „empathetic and supportive care‟, „adequacy of information‟, „two-way communication‟, „practical skills‟, „consent and dignity‟, and „continuity of care‟. The women‟s perceptions of RMC resonated well with the domains of respectful maternity care identified by the White Ribbon Alliance as the components of respectful maternity care during facility birth. In low resource settings, birthing facilities should be redesigned to prioritize women's privacy and dignity, thereby supporting the principles of respectful maternity care.

Keywords: Respectful maternity care, Perception, Postnatal women, Childbirth.