Abstract:
Inadequate communications skills are the most common factors affecting communication which reduces the
accuracy of diagnosis thus compromising adherence. Many researches done on antenatal care have focused upon
improving the woman’s access to care and her knowledge of the importance of antenatal care; it has not generally
incorporated factors that affect the quality of communication and subsequent satisfaction of antenatal women. The
goal of this study was to identify the factors that influence women’s satisfaction with the communication skills of
health care providers. It was a descriptive cross-sectional where 384 subjects were interviewed by use of
Interviewer administered questionnaires. Non participatory observation checklist was also used. SPSS and Excel
were used to generate Frequencies, Percentages, averages, Pearson’s Chi-squares and Odds Ratios. The research
revealed factors that affected women’s satisfaction at the clinic. Greeting and introducing oneself to the ANC women
by name were statistically significant with satisfaction for all cadres of healthcare workers with p value of 0.000. (χ2
= 175, 242.3, 267.1, 149.1 for doctors, nurses, record clerks and the lab technicians respectively.). Giving ANC
women enough time to express themselves, Educating and empathising with them were also statistically significant
(P≤0.05, OR 5.44, C.I 95%). The women socio-demographic factors were however not significant. This study is useful
to health services managers targeting to mitigate communication barriers to improve health outcomes, diagnostic
accuracy and other social outcomes in pregnancy.