Predictors of satisfaction with child birth services in public hospitals in Ghana.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between experiences during childbirth and satisfaction with childbirth services.

Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional analytical approach using a structured questionnaire and exit interviews was employed to gather data from 885 women who delivered vaginally in two public hospitals. Data were analysed by generating frequencies and chi-square which was used in running a binary logistic regression using a stepwise backward elimination approach.

Findings: With a response rate of 78.75 percent the key predictor variables of satisfaction with care were: friendliness of staff (OR = 15.12, p = 0.00); the amount of information provided on the condition and treatment of women (OR = 9.3857, p = 0.007); the feeling of being treated with respect (OR = 3.5581, p = 0.023); and the provision of information about channels of complaint about care (OR = 50.0839, p = 0.000). It is therefore recommended that steps be instituted to improve client-/health worker interpersonal relationships, to improve the amount and quality of information provided to clients, and also to establish formal structures for complaint management in hospitals.

Research Limitations/implications: The study sampled only women with vaginal deliveries, considering the fact that women with caesarean deliveries have different experiences. Thus views of those with caesarean deliveries are excluded.

Originality/value: Several studies have been conducted in Ghana on issues of health service satisfaction and quality, but this is about the first, critically looking at satisfaction with child birth services in Ghana.