Measuring preferences for delivery services in rural Vietnam

Background: The relatively low use of maternity services at the primary health care level in Vietnam has highlighted the need for economic evaluations of the current maternal health delivery network. This study measured willingnesstopay for obstetric delivery preferences in rural Vietnam. Methods: An intervieweradministered survey was conducted among 200 postpartum and 196 pregnant women, and 196 men in Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa province of Vietnam, using the payment card technique. Results: A kappa score of 0.98 showed very good agreement between the two interviewers administering the survey. An association was found between willingnesstopay and satisfaction with the quality of maternity services. No significant differences were found in willingnesstopay values between prenatal and postpartum groups, and between male and female participants. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that the willingnesstopay instrument is a feasible tool, and is relatively reliable to measure the benefit of different alternatives of delivery services in rural Vietnam. For wider application of the instrument, its validity should be investigated further. Meanwhile, health care managers and decision makers should be encouraged to apply the instrument in the evaluation of maternal health programs