The Relationship Between Women's Satisfaction With Prenatal Care Services and Characteristics of the Women and the Provision of Services

Women’s satisfaction from prenatal care, can lead to increase using the services and ultimately improve pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between women’s satisfaction with prenatal care services and demographic characteristics of the pregnant women. This study used a descriptive correlational design. Data collection instrument was a questionnaire. The satisfaction dimensions were the accessibility, coordination, communication of the personnel, availability, and the received information regarding prenatal care, quality, and the cost of the services.The study subjects consisted of 530 Iranian women living in the west of Tehran, who gave birth and attended to the health clinics, at 6 week postnatal period. Most of the women (69.8%) had good level of satisfaction with provided prenatal care and 21.9% were satisfied at the level of excellence. The women were more satisfied with accessibility, received information, communication, quality of services. There was a statistically significant positive association between education levels, economical status, and health situation during pregnancy and women’s satisfaction with prenatal care services (P<0.05).Women with high education levels, good economical status and optimum health situation during pregnancy were more satisfied. There were statistically significant association between the waiting time for prenatal care visits and the number of prenatal visits and women’s satisfaction with prenatal care services (P<0.05). Women’s satisfaction with the services were increased with the frequency of prenatal care visits, but their satisfaction were decreased as the waiting time was prolonged. According to the study findings, the majority of the subjects (90.7%) were satisfied with the received prenatal care. Therefore they could use health services continously and appropriately so encouraging the other women to use the services frequently would be necessary.