Respectful maternity care during childbirth: Experiences and observation among mothers in a tertiary-care institute in Manipur

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Respectful maternity care (RMC) refers to the humane and dignified treatment of a childbearing woman throughout her pregnancy, childbirth and immediate postpartum period. Disrespect and abuse of women during labour, childbirth and immediate postpartum period in health facilities is one of the reasons which deter them from further utilizing maternal healthcare services. The present study was thus undertaken to determine to what extent RMC practices are being followed in a health facility in Manipur. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2022 to August 2022 in a Health facility among women coming for institutional delivery along with direct observations of the labour room. The study tool comprises a semistructured questionnaire related to respectful maternity care which was adapted from the Person-Centered Maternity Care Scale, a validated instrument. The direct observation method was carried out using a checklist adapted from a standardized tool developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Descriptive statistics were generated and approval of the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 336 (99.1%) women reported at least one form of disrespect or abuse during childbirth. Maximum abuse (91.4%) was reported in the facility and environment domain. Direct observation done on 22 deliveries in the labour room found that 72.7% of the women experienced at least one form of disrespect and abuse. Two (9.1%) women were observed to face physical force or abusive behaviour. Conclusion: Almost all the women reported at least one form of disrespect or abuse during childbirth. There is a need to improve the health facilities and women need to be treated with dignity and respect as it is being violated according to the findings in many studies as with ours.