Women's satisfaction with health providers' communication skills during antenatal care at MTRH, Eldoret

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Quality of face-to-face communication between the health care worker and patient/client is the most important medical procedure as it leads to information transfer that affects patient compliance, adherence, clinical outcomes and general client satisfaction. A cross sectional survey aimed at assessing the women satisfaction with communication skills of healthcare workers was done. A total of 3respondents were systematically sampled and interviewed. Non-participant observation was also done. The index of measurement was the respondent satisfaction with the communication skills. JUSTIFICATION: To date, adequacy of antenatal care has been focused upon improving the woman's access to care and her knowledge of the importance of antenatal care; it has not generally incorporated the quality of communication and information exchanged between client and caregivers as a component of adequate care GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To assess the women's satisfaction with the communication skills of health care providers during antenatal care at the antenatal clinic. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: I. To rate the level of satisfaction of women with the existing communication skills with health care providers at the antenatal clinic 2. To outline the factors that influence women satisfaction with health care providers' communication skills during antenatal care STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional STUDY AREA: MTRH, antenatal clinic SAMPLING METHOD: Systematic sampling technique STUDY METHOD: Interviewer administered questionnaires and non-participant observation checklist STUDY SUBJECTS: Women attending antenatal clinic. DATA ANALYSIS: Frequencies, Percentages, averages Pearson's Chi-squares and Odds Ratio were done to determine the satisfaction levels and the strength of associations between independent and dependent variables respectively. STUDY FINDINGS: The study found that at least 70% of the women were at least satisfied with the existing communication skills. The research revealed there were factors that affected women satisfaction at the clinic. Greeting and introducing oneself to the clients by name were statistically significant with satisfaction for all cadres of healthcare workers with p value of 0.000. (X2 = 175,242.3, 267.1, 149.1 for doctors, nurses, record clerks and the lab technicians respectively.). Giving clients enough time to express themselves was statistically significant with satisfaction; P::;0.05, OR 5.44, C.I 95% The client socio - demographic factors were however statistically insignificant to satisfaction for all cadres of healthcare workers (P values; 0.119, 0.556, 0.910 and 0.963 for doctor, Nurses, record clerks and lab technicians respectively. Whereas education and emphatic skills were statistically significant, facilitation skills were not. CONCLUSION: Whereas the women were at least satisfied with the existing communication skills of the healthcare providers, there were elements of communication skills that affected their satisfaction particularly the engagement skills. RECOMMENDATION: The medical training centres/universities, health care institutions and healthcare workers to aspire in developing and improving communication skills.