ASSESSMENT OF HEALTHCARE STANDARDS AND CLINICAL PRACTICES IN MATERNAL CARE

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Improving access, availability, and quality of care  services in hospitals is likely to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and preserve the health of women. The World Health Organization seeks a world where every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality care. The current study aimed to evaluate the quality of medical services during and after childbirth in government and private hospitals in Al-Najaf city. Methods: A case-control study is conducted on 376 respondents divided into two groups (case & control), was 188 women who attended two selected private Hospitals as a case, 94 from each private hospital and 188 women who attended two selected public hospitals as control, 94 from each public hospital, a structured questionnaire uses for data collection to compare medical care and services that were provided for women during and post-delivery between those hospitals. Results: The total number of respondents was 376 women divided into two groups of hospitals. The age range was 15-40 years, and the mean ± std. were (25.957 ± 5.938) for governmental hospitals respondents as (control) and 25.361 ± 4.667 for private hospitals respondents as (case group). The results of assessing the services that provided to women during delivery in selected hospitals were (96.8%) of women were asked about vaginal bleeding, and 85.6% asked about the rupture of membranes only they are from the important signs of delivery. In comparison, in the case group, only 36.7% were asked about vaginal bleeding, and almost all women in both groups received the services of checking the fetal heart sound and uterine and vaginal examination and the support from the healthcare providers during delivery. In contrast, the results of assessing the services in the post-delivery period in case and control groups were  100%  of women who received checking of vital signs in the control groups and 99.5% of women in the case group and neglected the providing of other important services during this critical period in both groups. Conclusion: This study showed these hospitals have apparent gaps in available some services that must be provided for women during and post-delivery and how to give priority to dealing with critical cases without discrimination, giving the rights to equality in dealing with and providing services, preserving their dignity as a human rights and there were gaps in providing integrated services to women during these critical periods to achieve the goal of reducing the maternal morbidity and mortality