Frequency and nature of obstetric violence in Kisangani Maternity Hospitals, Democratic Republic of Congo

Context and objective. Obstetric violence represents all abuses suffered that women experience during childbirth. The present study was conducted to describe the nature, frequency and resentment of acts and abuses committed in maternity hospitals. Methods. This was a cross-sectional, multi-site descriptive study conducted in Kisangani from February 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023. Data were collected prospectively, using questionnaires from birth attendants at the maternity hospitals, and focused on the nature of the violence and patient satisfaction assessed on a Likert scale. Results.Two hundred and eight women (mean age 26.56±6.94 years) were enrolled. Approximately 1/5 of the deliveries (21.63%) were not allowed to have family support. The rate of women who had undergone vaginal touching without their consent was 58.65%, and the gynaecological position was systematic for all vaginal deliveries. The opinion of 54.02% of patients was that this position was imposed and 30.46% were dissatisfied with it. Caesarean section was performed without consent at a rate of 91.18%. The medical team's assistance was poor for 31.73% of patients. Disrespectful words were used in 29.33% of deliveries, and 6.25% of women were victims of blows. Episiotomy was performed without consent in 41.18% of cases. Conclusion. Obstetric violence remains a real problem in Kisangani maternity hospitals, where health care staff should humanize their actions while giving priority to patient consent. Received: November 28th, 2023 Accepted: October 16th, 2024 https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/aamed.v18i1.9