Mistreatment of women during childbirth in Abuja, Nigeria: a qualitative study on perceptions and experiences of women and healthcare providers

The authors of this open-access paper set the context for the study by explaining how only a third (36%) of births took place in a health facility in 2013 and only half (51%) of pregnant women attended at least four antenatal care visits in the same year. Some evidence exists showing that women in Nigeria report receiving poor quality of care at health facilities during pregnancy and childbirth, which the authors explain may mean that women will not use these potentially life-saving services.As poor use of maternal health services in Nigeria is a key factor contributing to high levels of maternal morbidity and mortality, the study investigators aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of mistreatment during childbirth.Women who had had deliveries within the previous 5 years, healthcare providers and facility administrators were interviewed using qualitative methods in two communities (an urban and peri-urban setting) in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.The paper reports how both women and health providers reported experiencing or witnessing physical and verbal abuse, which are described in details in the paper.The authors explain that the results could be used to start a discussion with health providers and communities, and can guide planning to develop activities and interventions to tackle mistreatment and achieve respectful care during childbirth in Nigeria.Click here to access the full paper freely from the journal, Reproductive Health.Click here to read a blog by the MamaYe Communications Specialist, Morooph Babaanti about what respectful care involves, and here to read a story about respectful care.Read a paper from the recent series in the Lancet journal that outlines a pathway to respectful maternity care.Bohren, M.A., Vogel, J.P., Tunçalp, Ö., Fawole, B., Titiloye, M.A., Olutayo, A.O., Ogunlade, M., Oyeniran, A.A., Osunsan, O.R.,  Metiboba, L., Idris, H.A., Alu, F.E., Oladapo, O.T., Gülmezoglu, A.M. & Hindin, M.J. (2017). Mistreatment of women during childbirth in Abuja, Nigeria: a qualitative study on perceptions and experiences of women and healthcare providers. Reproductive Health, 14:9.