Table 2 Health-facility and health-system level factors influencing women’s preferences on mode of delivery; categories, themes and subthemes
Categories/Themes | Subthemes |
|---|---|
Theme 1: Health system conditions | |
- Hospital type (public, private) | - Doing procedures by doctors or students - Stressful environment |
- Staff | - Staff number - Access to staff - Competent and motivated staff |
- Birth policies | - Availability of VBAC - Pain relief options in NVD - Partner/family’s companion during labor/ delivery |
Theme 2: Standards of care in facilities | |
- Physical condition of birth facility | - Comfortable, and calming birth environment - Clean environment during both labor and birth |
- Physical examination and procedures | - Asking permission to carry out labor and childbirth procedures - painful vaginal examination - unnecessary vaginal examination |
- Continuous and organized care | - Lack of neglect and abandonment - Timely care |
- Ethics | - Women trust healthcare providers in recommending mode of delivery - Privacy |
Theme 3: Interaction between women and providers | |
- Communicating in a respectful and supportive manner with women | - Confident and supportive relationship care |
- Communicating with women’s partners/families | - Providing information for women’s partners/families |
Theme 4: Preserving women’s dignity | Not blaming women for their fears and/or moaning and crying due to pain - Providing women-centered care |
Theme 5: Provision of information | - Information about the environment, labor processes/procedures - Information about risks and benefits of vaginal delivery and/or CS |