Patients' satisfaction with midwifery services in a regional hospital and its referring clinics in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

Abstract

Patients' satisfaction with healthcare services is a measure of the quality of care received and of the responsiveness of healthcare systems to patients' expectations. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess mothers' satisfaction with maternity services at a regional hospital in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, and its 11 referring clinics. Structured interviews were conducted with 79 mothers during their postnatal visits. Many mothers were teenaged, single and unemployed. Overall, 51.9% (n = 41) of the interviewed mothers were satisfied; 32.5% (n = 25) were neutral; and 16.5% (n = 13) were dissatisfied with the care they had received during the intrapartum and early postpartum periods. Mothers were mostly satisfied with the general cleanliness of the ward; the information provided by nurses about looking after themselves and their babies at home, including breastfeeding; the way privacy was maintained; and the thoroughness of examinations done by doctors and midwives. Mothers were most dissatisfied with aspects concerning inadequate explanations of procedures and the lack of their involvement in decisions related to their care. Lack of pain relief during labour was also a serious concern. These aspects should be the focus of efforts to improve midwifery care at the participating hospital and its 11 associated clinics, and possibly also at other hospitals, in Limpopo.