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Striving for Respectful Maternity Care Everywhere

Maternal and Child Health Journal volume 20, pages 1769–1773 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose The mistreatment of women during childbirth in health facilities is a growing area of research and public attention. Description In many countries, disrespect and abuse from maternal health providers discourage women from seeking childbirth with a skilled birth attendant, which can lead to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. This commentary highlights examples from three countries—Kenya, Mexico and the United States—and presents different forms of mistreatment during childbirth, which range from physical abuse to non-consented care to discriminatory practices. Assessment Building on the momentum from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and the Global and Maternal Neonatal Health Conference, the global community has placed respectful maternity care at the forefront of the maternal and neonatal health agenda. Conclusion Research efforts must focus on context-specific patient satisfaction during childbirth to identify areas for quality improvement.

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Affiliations

  1. Division of Women’s Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1620 Tremont St, OBC-34, Boston, MA, 02120, USA

    Rose L. Molina & Jennifer Scott

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Rose L. Molina & Jennifer Scott

  3. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Rose L. Molina, Suha J. Patel, Jennifer Scott, Julianna Schantz-Dunn & Nawal M. Nour

  4. Division of Global Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Suha J. Patel, Julianna Schantz-Dunn & Nawal M. Nour

Authors
  1. Rose L. Molina
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  2. Suha J. Patel
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  3. Jennifer Scott
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  4. Julianna Schantz-Dunn
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  5. Nawal M. Nour
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Correspondence to Rose L. Molina.

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The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Rose L. Molina and Suha J. Patel are co-first authors.

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Molina, R.L., Patel, S.J., Scott, J. et al. Striving for Respectful Maternity Care Everywhere. Matern Child Health J 20, 1769–1773 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2004-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2004-2

Keywords

  • Respectful maternity care
  • Disrespect and abuse
  • Childbirth
  • Quality of care