Assessment on Quality of Healthcare Services during Childbirth: A Community-based Mixed-method Study in the Women of Puducherry

BACKGROUND: A women’s right to a positive childbirth experience should be the heart of any care provided. To assess the quality of childbirth services and mistreatment by healthcare providers among reproductive age group women and to explore factors influencing the same between women and stakeholders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A community-based, mixed-method study was conducted from April to September 2021 in field practice areas of a medical college in Puducherry district. The sample size for the quantitative study was 348 and the women were chosen using a multi-stage sampling technique. Women were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. In-depth and key informant interviews between women and stakeholders were done for the qualitative data collection. RESULTS: Three-fourths (77.0%) of women preferred government tertiary healthcare facilities for obstetric care. Although 69.0% and 75.6% of the participants did not experience any verbal and physical abuse, respectively, the qualitative study results were quite the opposite. While 92.8% of the women complained that no birth companion was allowed during their delivery. Moreover, 79.9% of the women did not have the freedom to choose their comfortable birthing position. The levels of mistreatment in the rural areas were slightly higher than that of the urban areas. CONCLUSION: Quality care is a fundamental approach to maternity care. A fair bit of women experiences mistreatment during childbirth in healthcare setups. However, the chief concern here is the perception of such abuse by the mothers as normal due to their lack of knowledge regarding women’s rights.