Premium
Perceptions of prenatal and obstetric care in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Author(s) -
Brighton Aimee,
D'Arcy Rhian,
Kirtley Shona,
Kennedy Stephen
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.09.017
Subject(s) - medicine , thematic analysis , focus group , qualitative research , nursing , health care , perception , intervention (counseling) , pregnancy , prenatal care , family medicine , population , environmental health , psychology , economic growth , social science , marketing , neuroscience , sociology , biology , business , genetics , economics
Background The maternal mortality ratio in Sub‐Saharan Africa remains high, despite progress in reducing maternal mortality in other parts of the world. Objective To explore the perceptions of women and communities to identify barriers to the uptake of obstetric services. Search strategy A systematic review of qualitative studies exploring perceptions of pregnancy and obstetric services, with thematic synthesis of the included studies. Selection criteria Qualitative studies reporting findings from focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews between 1996 and 2009 were included. Data collection and analysis Thematic synthesis involved collating and reviewing quotations taken directly from included studies. Themes were generated and clustered for analysis. Main results Twenty‐seven studies were included and 6 major themes identified: perceptions of healthcare workers; perceptions of the hospital environment; cultural perceptions of women; cultural perceptions of pregnancy; perceptions of traditional birth attendants and traditional healers; and role of the community in pregnancy and birth. Conclusion Community attitudes regarding cultural beliefs and interactions with healthcare providers were identified as barriers to the utilization of healthcare services during pregnancy in Sub‐Saharan Africa. These prevent engagement with prenatal care and timely use of medical services. Addressing the barriers will be seminal to the success of any healthcare intervention.