Abstract
Background:
Labor and delivery process is an exciting, anxiety-provoking, but rewarding
time for a woman and her family after successful delivery of a newborn. The
intrapartum period is the time where mothers expect more care from
nurses/midwives. Taking care of a mother in delivery with no side effects is
the task of a professional midwife who is trained to care of mothers and
babies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore mother’s experiences regarding intrapartum quality of care.
Methods:
Focused ethnographic study was employed. Data were collected from May to June 2016 using semi
structured interview guide. Purposive
sampling was employed to recruit 20 participants. Eight individual interviews
were conducted in postnatal ward of the Tamale Teaching Hospital in Ghana after
48 hours of delivery, followed by three focus group discussions two weeks after
delivery when mothers visited postnatal clinic. Interviews lasted for about
30-45 minutes during each session. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
The average age of women were
29years with ages ranging from 19years to 43years. Participants’ experiences of
nursing/midwifery care during birth were influenced by reception and respect, provision of information, technical skill, providers’ behavior, pain
management and availability of nurses/midwives.
Conclusion: The study findings have revealed that women’s experience of care is
affected by a wide range of determinants. Therefore, maternal health programmes
and policies in Ghana must take into account women’s expectations on the care
they need and their feedback on services they receive. Nursing education should
re-enforce communication/relational skills.
Keywords:
Nursing Care, Labor, Delivery, Qualitative Study