Quality of Antenatal Care Services in Demba Gofa Woreda Public Health Centers, Gammo Gofa Zone, South Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Antenatal care is one of the evidence based interventions to decrease the probability of negative health outcomes for mothers and their newborns. This depends on the quality of care provided during each antenatal care visit. However little is known about factors contributing to quality of antenatal care service in public health center of Demba Gofa woreda. Objectives: To assess quality of antenatal care services in public health centers of Demba Gofa woreda. Methods: A facility-based cross sectional study design using quantitative and qualitative data conducted from March 25 to April 16‚2014. Using systematic random sampling method from 423 study subjects a sample of 418 pregnant women were sampled. The quantitative data was entered in to EpiData version 3.1 and was exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multiple variables analysis were carried out to identify factors associated with client satisfaction of antenatal care services. Variables with p value< 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Adjusted odds ratios were used to see the strength of association with 95 % CI. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically by manually. The results were triangulated with quantitative data. Result: The proportion of mothers who were satisfied with antenatal care in this study was 21.5%. Women’s satisfaction with antenatal care was associated with frequency of ANC visit (AOR=1.9‚95%CI: (1.1, 3.3)), advise on nutrition (AOR=3.3‚95%CI: 1.3‚ 8.5), advise on birth preparedness (AOR=3.3‚95% CI: 1.1‚9.3)),closeness of the health center to mothers home (AOR=2.3‚95%CI 1.3‚3.9)).provision of iron (AOR=0.14(95%CI:0.05‚0.3).Charge for service (AOR=3.4‚(95%CI:1.2‚9.5).Moreover 373 (89.2%) of the women received tetanus toxoid vaccine‚ 324 (77.5) mothers started antenatal care visit after first trimester. The recommended care component such as Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test, blood group and Rhesus factor tests were not done for most of the women. There was 67.18% over all skilled human resource gaps and none of the health professionals had taken training on focused antenatal care. Conclusion and Recommendation: The overall satisfaction of antenatal care services in this study was found to be low. First ANC visit‚ lack of advice on nutrition‚ lack of advice on birth preparedness‚ farness of the health center to mother’s home‚ provision of iron and Charge for service were independently associated with mothers satisfaction of antenatal care. As well lack of skilled health personal &not under taking recommended laboratory tests were revealed. The study strongly suggests strengthening antenatal care follow up‚ advice on nutrition and birth preparedness‚ provision of iron and free of charge services at static and outreach level by different responsible bodies and filling the gap of skilled health personal‚ performing recommended laboratory tests to assure that services provided are more clients directed.