PERCEPTION OF RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE AMONG POSTNATAL WOMEN RECEIVING PERSON-CENTERED MATERNITY CARE AT LADY WILLINGDON HOSPITAL, LAHORE

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate postnatal women's perspectives toward respectful maternity care (RMC) while receiving person-centered maternity care (PCMC) within a tertiary care facility located in Lahore.

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Study setting and Duration: Post-Delivery Care Unit of the Lady Willingdon Hospital Lahore, from 01 December 2024 to 31 May 2025

Methodology: 450 post-delivery women aged 18-45 years, who were recruited using a non-probability consecutive sampling method. Data collection was carried out using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire that contained multiple demographics and obstetric variables and validated Person-Centered Maternity Care (PCMC) Scale. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Quantitative data were reported as mean ± SD, while qualitative data were reported as frequency and percent. The association between variables was assessed using Chi-square with significance set at p≤0.05.

Results: The average participant's age was 28.09 years (SD=4.78). Most participants (65.3%) reported medium (50-75) levels of perceived patient-centered maternity care (PCMC), while only 12.0% reported high (>75) levels of PCMC. Mode of delivery (p<0.001), booking status (p<0.001), and socioeconomic status (p<0.001) were all significantly associated with higher PCMC scores.

Conclusions: The level of perceived respectful maternity care among postpartum women was moderate overall. Mode of delivery, booking status, and socioeconomic factors were the main drivers behind the extent to which respect was able to be perceived. Interventions should be developed to improve access to quality and respectful maternity care for all women.