Exploring midwives’ understanding of respectful and non-abusive maternal care in Kumasi, Ghana: Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract Background Various aspects of disrespect and abusive maternity care have received scholarly attention because of frequent reports of the phenomenon in most healthcare facilities globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries. However, the perspectives of skilled providers on respectful maternal care have not been extensively studied. Midwives’ knowledge of respectful maternity care is critical in designing any interventive measures to address the menace of disrespect and abuse in maternity care. Therefore, the present study sought to explore the views of midwives on respectful maternity care at a Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Methods Phenomenological qualitative research design was employed in the study. Data were generated through individual in-depth interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data saturation was reached with fifteen midwives. Open Code 4.03 was used to manage and analyse the data. Findings The midwives’ understanding of respectful maternity care was comprised of the following components: non-abusive care, consented care, confidential care, non-violation of childbearing women’s basic human rights, and non-discriminatory care. Probing questions to solicit midwives’ opinions on an evidenced-based component of respectful maternity care generated little information, suggesting that the midwives have a gap in knowledge regarding this component of respectful maternity care. Conclusion Midwives reported an understanding of most components of respectful maternity care, but their gap in knowledge on evidenced-based care requires policy attention and in-service training. To understand the extent to which this gap in knowledge can be generalized for midwives across Ghana to warrant a redesign of the national midwifery curriculum, the authors recommend a nationwide cross-sectional quantitative study.