Table 1.
Women’s experience of mistreatment during childbirth
| Types of mistreatment experienced | Pre-intervention n (%) |
Pos-tintervention n (%) |
P value for χ2 |
| Verbal abuse | 17 (8.6) | 11 (5.8) | 0.29 |
| Health workers used harsh or rude language | 8 (4.0) | 6 (3.2) | 0.64 |
| Health workers made judgmental or accusatory comments about woman | 8 (4.1) | 2 (1.1) | 0.06 |
| Health workers made threats of withholding treatment | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1.1) | 0.54 |
| Health workers blamed woman for any features of birth outcome | 4 (2.0) | 4 (2.1) | 0.95 |
| Physical abuse | 33 (16.7) | 17 (8.9) | 0.02* |
| Woman was beaten, slapped, kicked or pinched | 7 (3.5) | 5 (2.6) | 0.61 |
| Woman was gagged | 19 (9.6) | 11 (5.8) | 0.16 |
| Woman was restrained | 19 (9.6) | 9 (4.74) | 0.06 |
| Non-consented care | 165 (83.3) | 124 (65.3) | <0.001* |
| Health workers did not obtain consent for procedure/s | 138 (69.7) | 84 (44.2) | <0.001* |
| Health workers ever separated woman from her baby without explaining | 14 (7.1) | 7 (3.7) | 0.14 |
| Health workers did not ask woman’s permission before conducting vaginal examination | 128 (64.7) | 91 (47.9) | 0.001* |
| Health workers did not ask woman’s permission before performing surgery (episiotomy or caesarean section) (n=220) | 69 (65.1) | 44 (38.6) | <0.001* |
| Health workers made woman stay in the hospital against her will | 4 (2.0) | 2 (1.1) | 0.44 |
| Lack of information, privacy and confidentiality | 189 (95.5) | 182 (95.8) | 0.88 |
| Health workers did not keep woman’s information confidential | 18 (9.1) | 7 (3.7) | 0.03* |
| Health workers conducted vaginal examination without maintaining woman’s privacy | 162 (81.8) | 147 (77.4) | 0.28 |
| Health workers did not give periodic updates on woman’s labour | 104 (52.5) | 129 (67.9) | 0.002* |
| Health workers spoke to woman in a language she could not understand | 5 (2.5) | 9 (4.7) | 0.24 |
| Neglect and discrimination | 24 (12.1) | 17 (8.9) | 0.31 |
| Health workers did not always come following woman’s call | 8 (4.0) | 7 (3.7) | 0.86 |
| Woman was ever left for a prolonged period of time without attention | 19 (9.6) | 12 (6.3) | 0.23 |
| Health worker was not present for the actual birth of woman’s baby | 5 (2.5) | 3 (1.6) | 0.51 |
| Health workers discriminated woman based on her attribute | – | 2 (1.1) | – |
| Refusal of preference | 134 (67.7) | 104 (54.7) | 0.01* |
| Health workers did not allow woman to have a birth companion present | 64 (86.5) | 18 (69.2) | 0.04* |
| Health workers did not allow woman to move around during labour | 43 (76.7) | 63 (94.3) | 0.002* |
| Health workers did not allow woman to have foods or fluids | 66 (94.3) | 62 (98.4) | 0.21 |
| Health workers did not allow woman to give birth in her preferred position | 43 (66.2) | 12 (33.3) | 0.001* |
| Health workers did not allow woman to have cultural practice in labour | 16 (76.2) | 0 (–) | – |