Evaluation of focused antenatal care services quality at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Central Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND

Antenatal care is the care that women receive during their pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and her baby. The provision of information on birth preparedness in Ethiopia is still low, which implies identification of pre-existing health conditions that may affect the outcome of pregnancies was not provided. Even if the Focused Antenatal Care service was provided in our setup, maternal death was still high. In addition, as far as our search, the quality of antenatal care service in this facility has not yet been evaluated. As a result, the purpose of this study was to assess the quality of focused antenatal care services at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

METHODS

A mixed method case study evaluation design was employed at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from February 29 to March 29, 2020. Quantitative data was collected through exit interviews of 411 mothers who attended antenatal care follow-up and review of 422 clients' cards 2 months prior to the study period. Similarly, 35 items of resources inventory, 10 direct observations, and 12 key informant interviews were conducted. The data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 and it was analysed with the Evaluation judgment matrix analysis method. Qualitative data were transcribed, translated and analysed by using thematic analysis. The evaluation focused on availability, compliance, and satisfaction dimensions with 25 indicators to judge the quality of antenatal care services.

RESULTS

The overall quality of focused antenatal care services was judged as good, based on pre-set judgment criteria (76.7%), to which availability of resources, healthcare provider's compliance with the national guideline, and maternal satisfaction contributed, 73.3, 77.75, and 78.8%, respectively. Auditory and visual privacy were practiced which enhances patient confidentiality and personal dignity. The waiting area was perceived to be satisfactory by the majority (89%) of ANC clients, but there is no separate waiting area for ANC clients. Ten (10) client/provider interactions were observed, demonstrating that all clients were counseled about pregnancy danger signs.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The overall focused antenatal care services quality was relatively good, although the availability of resources was fair. Some essential drugs and medical equipment were out of stock. Therefore, the hospital had better fulfill crucial medicines and equipment for better service quality.