Maternal satisfaction and recommendation of perinatal health facility : A cross sectional study measuring perceptions of mothers experiences of maternity care at tertiary care hospitals in Nepal

Background: To achieve better health outcomes it is important to identify those aspects of health care delivery system that determines patient satisfaction. The health care planners must therefore be cognizant of the opinions and expectations of those who utilize health care facilities to achieve better health outcomes. This also applies to maternal satisfaction. The study aimed to measure mothers satisfaction with maternity care and its association with various socio-demographic characteristics. Method: The study presented here is a quantitative cross-sectional study that utilizes secondary data from facility-based survey conducted in 12 different tertiary hospitals of Nepal and included client exit interviews (n=43756). The maternal satisfaction association with different exposures and potential confounders was determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. Results:. Better information and counselling is seen to be associated with higher satisfaction and recommendation [AOR: 1.67 [1.60-1.75]] and [1.68[1.57-1.80], respectively. Higher level of delivery preparation indicates lower overall satisfaction [AOR: 0.70 [0.66-0.74]]. Mothers were seen to be less satisfied with the religious and cultural aspects of the maternal health services. Mothers age and sex of child was not seen to be significant with any outcome. Conclusion: Better information and counselling indicates more satisfaction and recommendation. Mothers delivery preparation is seen as a significant predictor of their overall satisfaction; therefore, this should be a part of education and information strategy for mothers from the different backgrounds