Women's Expectations of and Satisfaction with Antenatal Care Services in a Semi-Urban Setting in Tanzania and Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Women's satisfaction has been found to be a good indicator of quality of care and is associated with the utilization of healthcare services. Women's needs and satisfaction could be improved through the provision of high-quality antenatal care services. This study assessed women's expectations of and satisfaction with antenatal care and their associated factors in a semiurban setting in Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey using the Expectations and Satisfaction with the Prenatal Care Questionnaire (PESPC) was used to measure pregnant women's expectations of and satisfaction with antenatal care in the two districts of Kibaha and Bagamoyo, involving 338 pregnant women. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. In the expectation subscale, women had high expectations for personalized care (78.4%), other services (from a social worker and nutritionist) (68.8%), and complete care (being taken care of on time, receiving excellent care, and receiving information without prompting) (60.9%), while expectations for continuity of care were the lowest (38.9%). In the satisfaction subscale, women were highly satisfied with providers' care (being cared for with respect, healthcare provision, the way they were made to feel, and the ability to ask questions) (88.9%), while the least satisfying aspect was system characteristics (e.g., waiting times, scheduling, parking, tests and examinations, and facilities) (63.4%). Distance from a health facility was a significant predictor of both women's expectations of and satisfaction with antenatal care services, while age and number of pregnancies were also significant predictors of antenatal care expectations. To meet expectations for quality antenatal care services and improve satisfaction with antenatal care, policymakers should improve system characteristics, including the availability of human resources and medical supplies, increased consultation time, flexible schedules, and reduced waiting time. Additionally, ensuring the accessibility of evidence-based health information is important for increasing health literacy among pregnant women.

How Are We Doing?-The Experience of the Merton Home Treatment Team in Gathering Real-Time Feedback and the Impact Upon Service Provision

Aims and Method:

To discuss the methods involved in gathering real-time feedback (RTF) by a London Home Treatment Team. We hypothesized that RTF would lead to changes in service provision and improvements in patient and carer feedback. Patients were invited to provide RTF on discharge. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed centrally by the Trust before being disseminated to the team and changes made based upon the results. Quantitative feedback on the team’s performance in the first 6 months of RTF use was compared against data from the 6 months prior to March 2015 using 2-tailed Z tests.

Results:

There were significant improvements in feedback around the team visiting at the agreed times (P = .0069) and patients feeling that they had been involved in treatment decisions (P = .0371).

Clinical Implications:

Real-time feedback is a potentially valuable method for obtaining patient feedback and can result in service improvements if used appropriately.