Recognition, Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Labor Companionship: A Hospital-Based Prospective Study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the recognition, knowledge, and attitudes toward labor companionship among pregnant women, their labor companions (LCs), and hospital personnel (HP).METHODS: This cross-sectional survey included women who gave birth our hospital between October 2022 and April 2023. Their LCs and selected HP were also invited to participate. Data on personal demographics, recognition, knowledge (considered good if participants correctly answered ≥ 8 out of 10 questions), and attitudes (considered positive with scores ≥ 48 out of 60 on 12 questions) were collected through a self-answered questionnaire. Attitudes were assessed once for HP and twice (before and after delivery) for women and their LCs.RESULTS: A total of 191 individuals participated, including 67 pregnant women, 106 LCs, and 18 HPs. The overall recognition rate was 20.4%, with rates of 50.0% among HP, 14.9% among women, and 18.9% among LCs. Good knowledge was found in 9.5% of pregnant women, 8.1% of spouses, and 33.3% of HP (p = 0.066). Positive attitudes were observed in 72.7% of HP. Among pregnant women, 84.4% had positive attitudes before delivery, and 81.3% maintained them afterward (p = 0.060). For LCs, positive attitudes were recorded in 69.8% before delivery and 81.4% after (p = 0.308).CONCLUSION: The study found that recognition of labor companionship was low, and most participants lacked sufficient knowledge. However, nearly three-fourths exhibited positive attitudes. Notably, pregnant women’s attitudes did not improve after having an LC, whereas LCs demonstrated more positive attitudes following their experience.