Perceptions and Experiences of New Mothers Diagnosed With Tokophobia; Regarding the Quality of Maternal Healthcare Services in Public Hospitals: A Qualitative Study

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Abstract Background: Quality of maternal care offered in hospitals significantly determines the health outcomes of expectant women and their newborns. The study aimed at understanding the perceptions and experiences of new mothers diagnosed with tokophobia; regarding the quality of maternal services offered in public hospitals in Kenya.Methods: This was a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews with 29 women who had given birth recently in a referral hospital in Kenya; and had been screened and found with high fear of childbirth at 22 weeks’ gestation period. The framework for assessing the quality of care of institutional maternity services developed by the University of Southampton was adopted in this study. Thematic analysis was used in this study. Results: The identified challenges were categorized into two: the provision of care and the actual experience of care. In the provision of care, there were perceptions and experiences relating to human and physical resources, inadequate referral systems, and inadequate management of emergencies. In regards to the actual experience of care, there were perceptions and experiences relating to inadequacies in human and physical resources, lack of cognition, lack of respect, dignity and equity, and inadequacies in emotional support.Conclusion: The study identified systemic challenges related to the provision of maternal care and actual experience of care contributing to tokophobia. In this regard, there is a need to judiciously analyze all the critical steps identified in the framework for assessing the quality of maternal care, as this will reduce the intangible challenges identified in this study.

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