Respectful maternity care and mistreatment: Women's experiences during induction of labor and childbirth in Ghana.

Background: Most studies on respectful maternity care (RMC) and mistreatment of women have focused on intrapartum care with limited information on how women are treated during induction of labor (IOL), pre-labor phase of the maternity care continuum. Emerging multi-country evidence indicates that nearly 30% of women who undergo IOL do not consent to the procedure and constitutes a violation of their rights to optimal maternal health. This study explored women's lived experiences of respectful care and mistreatment during IOL in a tertiary setting in Ghana.

Lived experiences of women during induction of labour at a tertiary hospital in Ghana: A qualitative study.

Induction of labour (IOL) has become a major and vital maternal health intervention to facilitate childbirth and minimize the rising caesarean section rates globally. However, there is limited information to facilitate appropriate client counselling, birth preparedness and informed decision making although the procedure has inherent tendency for adverse maternal/perinatal outcomes. Given the need for optimal client education and shared decision making in maternal health, this study explored women's knowledge and their lived experiences of IOL.