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. 2023 Oct 13;15(10):e47000.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.47000. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Assessing the Utilization of Postnatal Services Among Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sunvir Kaur Rai  1 , Simmi Oberoi  1 , Rajinder Singh Balgir  1 , Dharminder Ahir  1 , Harpreet Singh  2
Affiliations

Assessing the Utilization of Postnatal Services Among Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sunvir Kaur Rai et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: Women in the postnatal period are a special group with a high risk to health. Providing good quality postnatal care can help reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life. The objective of the study was to assess the utilization of the postnatal services provided to mothers and to find the factors affecting the utilization of these services.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study where 154 mothers from Patiala were interviewed regarding postnatal services using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire.

Results: A total of 92.9% of mothers (95%CI=88.76-97.04) availed postnatal care with a multi-purpose health worker-female (MPHW-F) and an accredited social health activist (ASHA (U)) as the main providers. Only 47.4% of mothers (95%CI=39.35-55.45) had visited a doctor for a postnatal check-up. Mother's education, type of family, place, and type of delivery were significantly associated with the number of visits to the doctor during the postnatal period. Thirty-nine (25.3%) mothers (95%CI=18.3-32.3) reported a health problem in the period, out of which only 32 mothers had taken treatment for their health problems. Mothers who were visited by MPHW-F in the postnatal period had fewer morbidities as compared to those who were not visited by MPHW-F (χ2=7.697; df=2; p value=0.02).

Conclusions: Working women with cesarean section delivery in the private sector reported more utilization of postnatal services. These women had higher education levels and belonged to joint families. More visits by MPHW-F were associated with fewer health problems. A multi-pronged approach, targeting individuals, families, and communities, may be necessary to improve postnatal care service utilization rates.

Keywords: cross-sectional study; health care utilization; health services accessibility; postnatal care; utilization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Sample size calculation
Figure 2
Figure 2. Distribution of maternal morbidities during postnatal period (n= 43)
Figure 3
Figure 3. Varying advice received by mothers from healthcare workers in relation to postnatal care
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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