“Every woman has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including the right to dignified, respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth,” according to WHO (2014). With the goal of preventing and eliminating the disrespect and abuse that women face during childbirth, this statement highlighted the fact that respectful maternity care (RMC) is not only a critical component of quality care, but it is more so a human right that every woman around the world is entitled to. Despite a number of interventions intended at addressing this problem, recent studies reveal that many women throughout the globe continue to face disrespectful and abusive care during childbirth.
A study conducted among 150 mothers admitted to the maternity ward of Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital revealed that over three-quarters of women interviewed during the study reported to have experienced the overall dimensions of RMC during their recent childbirth, (Pathak & Ghimire, 2020). However, the remaining 15% of the women in this study reported otherwise. Various forms of non-friendly and disrespectful care during childbirth has been reported being experienced by the participants, including not showing concern and empathy, verbal abuse such as being shouted upon, physical abuse such as being slapped, delayed service provision, and not talking positively about pain and relief during childbirth. Such disrespectful behaviors towards childbearing women is an alarming issue in the field of maternal care as evidence suggests that disrespectful behaviors may influence birth outcomes negatively; whereas supportive behavior positively influences birth outcomes (Barrett & Stark, 2010, as cited in Pathak & Ghimire, 2020). Similarly, both physical and verbal abuse has been found to have harmful impacts and may likely lead to increased rates of unnecessary interventions and traumatic birth experiences (Hodges, 2009, as cited in Pathak & Ghimire, 2020).
With this, we must always be reminded that respectful maternity care is a broad concept that does not merely revolve around the health care providers’ scientific or clinical skills; rather, it gives emphasis to interpersonal communication skills, including showing empathy to women by being with them and establishing a trusting relationship, as a crucial aspect of care during labor and childbirth (Moridi, Pazandeh, Hajian, & Potrata, 2020). This emphasizes on the need to take a more holistic approach in caring for childbearing women. After all, caring for patients involves more that solely taking care of their physical and mental health as it is of equal importance to uphold their dignity. Therefore, implementing women-centered, evidence-based and humanized care is recommended in promoting RMC throughout health care institutions around the globe in order to promote the overall well-being of childbearing women and reduce traumatic birth experiences.
References:
Maternal Health Task Force. (2014, December 13). Respectful Maternity Care. Maternal Health Task Force. https://www.mhtf.org/topics/respectful-maternity-care/
Moridi, M., Pazandeh, F., Hajian, S., & Potrata, B. (2020). Midwives’ perspectives of respectful maternity care during childbirth: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229941
Pathak, P., & Ghimire, B. (2020). Perception of Women regarding Respectful Maternity Care during Facility-Based Childbirth. Obstetrics and Gynecology International, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/5142398