Assessment of maternal satisfaction with facility-based childbirth care in the rural region of Tambacouda, Senegal

Abstract

In Senegal, only 60% of mothers in rural areas deliver in health facilities. Mothers' satisfaction with their facility-based childbirth experience is one of the factors in their choosing to deliver in such facilities in subsequent pregnancies. The objective of this study was to assess whether compliance with childbirth care based on the mothers' perception of facility-based childbirth care contributes to the degree of maternal satisfaction. We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected from 259 mothers who had normal deliveries at facilities in rural areas of Senegal in 2011. The association between overall maternal satisfaction with childbirth care and 23 standard care survey items was assessed. The results showed that the degree of compliance with standard care and eight of 23 survey items were associated with maternal satisfaction. We conclude that to improve maternal satisfaction, facilities need to guarantee compliance with standard care.