Patient Satisfaction With Maternity Waiting Homes in Liberia: A Case Study During the Ebola Outbreak.
Jody R Lori, Michelle L Munro-Kramer, Jordan Shifman and 2 others
PMID 28376559WHAT IT FOUND
Almost all women staying in Liberian maternity waiting homes would recommend them and return, but satisfaction fell during Ebola.
Rest, support, nearby skilled care mattered; poor lighting, food, water, and loneliness were problems.
Key findings
01Almost all surveyed women said they would recommend the maternity waiting home and use it again, and 98.9% were satisfied or very satisfied.
02Overall satisfaction was lower during Ebola than before it: mean 1.33 versus 1.70 on a 0 to 2 scale.
03Interviews described satisfaction from restful environment and supportive care, but problems included inadequate lighting, food insecurity, limited clean water, and loneliness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was a case study and secondary analysis of satisfaction data, not a trial of birth outcomes. Fewer women used the homes during Ebola, so those who did may have been more positive than women who avoided them. Clinic staff read the surveys aloud and recorded answers, which may have made some women answer in a way that pleased staff. Some satisfaction questions were added after data collection began, and missing answers were removed rather than filled in. The stay included several supports at once, so it is not possible to tell which part of the maternity waiting home experience drove satisfaction.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read high satisfaction as proof that maternity waiting homes improve maternal or newborn outcomes. The stay also included nearby skilled care, monitoring, education, and often traditional birth attendant support, and the study cannot separate those components.