A Qualitative Study on Women’s Experiences of Intrapartum Nursing Care at Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Ghana

Background: Labor and delivery process is an exciting, anxiety-provoking, but rewarding time for a woman and her family after successful delivery of a newborn. The intrapartum period is the time where mothers expect more care from nurses/midwives. Taking care of a mother in delivery with no side effects is the task of a professional midwife who is trained to care of mothers and babies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore mother’s experiences regarding intrapartum quality of care. Methods: Focused ethnographic study was employed. Data were collected from May to June 2016 using semi structured interview guide. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 20 participants. Eight individual interviews were conducted in postnatal ward of the Tamale Teaching Hospital in Ghana after 48 hours of delivery, followed by three focus group discussions two weeks after delivery when mothers visited postnatal clinic. Interviews lasted for about 30-45 minutes during each session. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The average age of women were 29years with ages ranging from 19years to 43years. Participants’ experiences of nursing/midwifery care during birth were influenced by reception and respect, provision of information, technical skill, providers’ behavior, pain management and availability of nurses/midwives. Conclusion: The study findings have revealed that women’s experience of care is affected by a wide range of determinants. Therefore, maternal health programmes and policies in Ghana must take into account women’s expectations on the care they need and their feedback on services they receive. Nursing education should re-enforce communication/relational skills. Keywords: Nursing Care, Labor, Delivery, Qualitative Study