Disrespectful Care Towards Mothers Giving Birth at Selected Hospital of Kigali/Rwanda

Abstract

Background Over the past decade, global public health has increasingly focused on studying mistreatment of women during facility-based childbirth. However, in Rwanda, research on disrespectful care experienced by mothers during childbirth remains limited, indicating the necessity for further studies. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in a selected district hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. We employed systematic random sampling to select 246 mothers who had recently delivered at the study site and were discharged from the hospital but still on the premises. Descriptive statistics were utilized, and a summation score of nine items of disrespect was calculated to determine our outcome of interest. Subsequently, we dichotomized the outcome. Additionally, we employed chi-square analysis and logistic regression to identify predictors of disrespect. Results The prevalence of disrespect was found to be 61.38%, with 28.86% of participants reporting experiencing disrespect once, and 32.52% reporting experiencing it two to eight times. Participants experienced disrespect between one and eight times. The most prevalent forms of disrespect experienced were undignified care (30.89%), abandonment (30.49%), and lack of information on received care (26.42%). Conclusion and Recommendations Disrespect remains a significant issue in our study setting, emphasizing the need for interventions to mitigate this problem by enhancing accountability mechanisms among healthcare providers working in maternity services.