Descriptive survey of women's childbirth experiences in two state hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal.
Uwonkunda P Mutabazi, Petra Brysiewicz
PMID 33970005WHAT IT FOUND
Postpartum women rated midwife care highly, but felt least able to choose movement, position or pain relief.
Most experienced labour pain; many reported fear, poor privacy and sanitation. Maternity teams should focus on communication, privacy and cleanliness.
Key findings
01Women rated professional support highest, with 82% agreeing they felt very well cared for by their midwife.
02Participation scored lowest, and 52% felt they could have a say in pain relief.
0392% experienced pain during childbirth, and negative open-ended responses linked labour pain, poor staff treatment, lack of privacy, poor sanitation and lack of control or communication.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were chosen by purposive sampling, not random sampling. The study was done in two hospitals in the same district, so it may not apply to other settings. Data were collected over 2 months, so temporary circumstances in the hospitals may have influenced answers. Women answered while still on hospital premises, and the researcher was a midwife, which may have limited disclosure or led to socially desirable answers. Some returned questionnaires had missing data, so the number of responses varied by item. The study used a quantitative method, which limited detailed description of experiences. The questionnaire was translated and modified to a 5-point scale, and missing data could introduce error when comparing with other countries.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high professional-support score as proof that midwifery support caused better birth experiences. This was a self-report survey of women already in hospital, and it did not compare different care approaches.