Are the mothers admitted for childbirth in a tertiary care hospital satisfied with the health care services? A mixed methods study from Mangaluru, Karnataka state, India

<h2>ABSTRACT</h2><h3>Context</h3> Patient Satisfaction is the strongest determinant of hospital functioning and is an indirect or proxy indicator of the quality of doctor. <h3>Aims</h3> The study aims to assess maternal satisfaction with healthcare services during childbirth during hospital stay, explore factors influencing satisfaction, and assess the perceptions of both mothers and their bystanders regarding the healthcare services provided. <h3>Methods and Material</h3> It is a sequential explanatory mixed method study conducted in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department in a tertiary college hospital among 291 pregnant women admitted for childbirth. Quantitative data obtained using expert validated questionnaire was entered in an Excel sheet and analysed using IBM SPSS Version 23. Descriptive statistics were reported as median (IQR) for continuous variables and as frequencies and proportions for categorical variables. Normality was tested using Shapiro Wilk test and to test significant difference in satisfaction scores across the variables Mann Whitney U test was used. For the qualitative phase, in-depth interview was conducted to explore factors determining patient satisfaction in healthcare services. <h3>Results</h3> Quantitative results showed that mothers were satisfied with the admission process, support given during breastfeeding, immunization and vaccination, health education and very satisfied with the privacy, doctors and nursing services, overall cleanliness. Qualitative results revealed the admission process was time consuming, overall cleanliness was poor, guidance on breast feeding and immunization and service provided by doctors and nurses are good. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The study concluded that while mothers were generally satisfied with healthcare services, particularly with support during breastfeeding, immunization, and doctor and nursing services, there were concerns about the admission process and overall cleanliness.