Clients' satisfaction of maternity care at a public referral teaching hospital, in Rwanda: case of University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB)

INTRODUCTION: maternal satisfaction is the key in health facilities utilization and so improving the birth outcome and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. The main objective of this study was to assess women´s satisfaction with perinatal care provided in maternity at CHUB with its associated factors. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was done at maternity of CHUB on clients´ satisfaction of maternity care. With a sample size of 422 mothers who were admitted for labor and delivery from July 1(st) to October 31(st) 2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and client's satisfaction (eight questions (CSQ-8). Every respondent had to answer all questions under guidance of a data collector. Excel, Stata and SPSS were used for data entry and data analysis. Chi-squared and multivariate regressions were used for analysis of the association. RESULTS: eighty-nine point thirty four (89.34%) percent of our respondents reported that services they received helped them to deal more effectively with their problems; and they were most satisfied with a mean score of 3.9 (97.5%) and least satisfied with the fact that they were not allowed to decide themselves in their management, with a mean score of 3.1 (77.5%). The overall satisfaction of our respondent’s equals to the mean score is 28.4/32= 88.75%. Factors found to affect mothers´ satisfaction were respecting mother´s privacy & values and allowing them to take decision and consenting before procedure. CONCLUSION: the majority of mothers were satisfied with received services. Respecting patients´ privacy and allowing them to participate in decision-making were two factors associated with high satisfaction.