Factors Influencing Childbearing Women’s Choice Of Health Care Services In Port Harcourt

0
787
You can download this material now from our portal

FACTORS INFLUENCING CHILDBEARING WOMEN’S CHOICE OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN PORT HARCOURT

Introduction

Despite the availability of primary health care services in virtually every community and village in Nigeria, clients travel long distances to reach secondary and tertiary health care institutions. Against this backdrop, the researcher sought to find the factors that influence choice of health institutions among pregnant women.

Methods

A descriptive study was carried out across three levels of health care institutions with a total sample size of 160 clients who were randomly selected. A thoroughly validated 45- item questionnaire was used to explore clients’ perceptions about what factors influence where they access health care services.

Results

Major findings revealed that level of education, proximity to place of residence, affordability and quality of services rendered, spousal and significant other’s influences were active determinants of choice for health institutions among pregnant women in Nigeria.

Conclusion

This study elicited information on why some types of institutions were preferred. The study has implications for community health nurses and policy makers on what should be done to make health institutions appropriately utilized by community in Nigeria.

Introduction

Skilled antenatal care and birth attendance has been advocated globally as the most crucial intervention to reduce maternal mortality. Poor usage of skilled attendance and maternal primary health care services results in high levels of maternal mortality in the developing countries. The maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria, for example, is estimated at 560 per 100,000 women [1] . Various studies have been done around the world to identify factors that influence the choice of child-bearing women’s health care. Some of the identified factors include cost of services [2–6] ; socio-demographic and educational level of the client [7–10] ; women’s level of autonomy in making health care decisions [2, 5] ; physical accessibility to health care services [3, 5, 7, 9–11] and the type of health services rendered, disease pattern and healthcare workers attitude [2–4, 7, 10, 12, 13] . Maternal deaths could be prevented if women were able to access and utilize good quality services, especially when complications arise [14] . However, in reality, most women experience serious barriers to accessing services or even if they do reach them, the services themselves are often of insufficient quality or effectiveness. Also, in recent years, sector-wide strategies focused on skilled attendance have aimed to generate demand as well as augment supply.

Access to information about maternal services should be available in the community to help women make choices about who to see and where to go, as well as decide the type of care they require. Information about family planning services can help reduce unwanted pregnancies and their adverse consequences. Access to health care particularly at the critical time of birth, can help ensure that childbirth is a joyful event [15] . Access means that women can reach maternal health care easily and not be deterred by cost or poor treatment by staff. Women have been seen to travel long distances to access quality health care despite a ready availability of primary health care facilities around where they live, work and school. However, lack of transport makes it difficult for pregnant women or women in labour to reach help quickly. Fees charged for health care often put women off having their babies in hospitals or even seeking help when complications arise. Many women also say they prefer to rely on traditional birth attendants because health workers are rude and unsympathetic. In many cases, decisions about seeking care are made by mothers-in-law, husbands or other family members. In the course of rendering professional nursing services at different hospitals that represent the three tiers of health care institution, the researcher observed that most clients attend any health institution irrespective of the level of the health institution, indication for care or their identified health needs. The researcher wished to find out the factors influencing the choice of health care services among women of child-bearing age despite the availability, affordability, accessibility and proximity of health care institutions to the place where they live or work. The study also strove to test three hypotheses: (i) there would be no relationship between choice of health care institution and quality of health services rendered, (ii) there would be no relationship between choice of health care institution and affordability of services and (iii) there would be no relationship between choice of health care institution and the women’s level of education.

Leave a Reply