Patient satisfaction with non-pharmacological pain management during labour at Phola Park CHC, Ekurhuleni

Abstract

Background: Patient’s satisfaction with delivery care is a key indicator of the quality of maternal health care. Objectives: This study explored patients’ satisfaction with their labour experience at Phola Park CHC by assessing the severity of pain experienced and determining the proportion of parturient satisfied with pain treatment administered during labour. It further determined the associations between socio-demographic features and patient satisfaction. Methods: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study that occurred between June 2017 and March 2019. The 311 participants were those attending check-up three days after a normal delivery. Convenience sampling and a validated questionnaire adapted from the American Pain Society Pain Outcome Questionnaire were used to sample participants and collect data respectively. Wald Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were used to test for association between variables. Results: Participants’ mean age was 26.9 years with 90.4% reporting being Black, IsiZulu speakers, mostly having two children and secondary education. Almost half (49.2%) experienced moderate pain in labour with over half (55.3%) having used traditional medicine or prayer water. Frequently used methods to relieve pain were deep breathing (26.2%), walking (22%), massage (21%), and prayer (14%). Over half (53.1%) experienced effective pain relief and 56.3% expressed satisfaction with their pain treatment. The only statistically significant predictor of dissatisfaction was the number of live births (p=0.003). One live birth compared to four live births (OR=11.5; 95% CI 1.4 –97.2). Conclusion: Most parturient reported being satisfied with the pain management but dissatisfaction was more likely among those with less parity