Table 2 Providers’ Perceptions of Importance of Communication and Women’s Autonomy
Aspect of Communication and Autonomy | Rating of importance: N (%) | Why important | Representative quotations |
|---|---|---|---|
Providers introducing themselves to women | Not important: 2 (4.1%) Somewhat: 5 (10.2%) Very important: 42 (85.7%) | Value of women being able to identify who cared for them: | “It is important because you may help a patient and she wants to appreciate you. Or you talked to her rudely so she will be able to tell that it is ‘so and so’ who talked to me rudely.” (NC10) “Sometimes when you have taken good care of a patient so she will go home happy saying that I was helped by nurse so and so”. (NC8) |
Establishing rapport and creating an interpersonal connection with women | “I think first is the first impression that the health provider gives the mother, so the first impression makes a great impact, so if the impression is not good then the mother might become withdrawn.” (C1) “Of course we [should] introduce ourselves to [patients] like when they find us in the labor ward we have to introduce ourselves to them like am so and so and am going to take you through this and this until my colleague comes.,, it is important because you create a rapport between you and the client so she will be easy for her to express her feelings...” (C20) | ||
Calling women by name | Not important: 0 (0%) Somewhat: 10 (20.8%) Very important: 38 (79.2%) | Recognizing the woman as an individual and expressing interest, respect and care | “I think that if a patient tells you that she is Emily and later you call her Emily, she will feel like ‘ooh at least she can remember me, at least she has got some interest in me’.” (C4) “First, they [patients] are human beings, you need to respect them, and they have names. Because some people you see they will give you a report like ‘bed one’. In that ‘bed one’ there is a human being who has a name so we just need to know that they are human beings who have names” (C19) |
Establishing rapport and creating an interpersonal connection with women | “The patient will feel like this person knows me and so she will begin to open up.” (C18) “I think it is important because if you call her by her name, she feels free and she can tell you all about herself.” (C34) | ||
Promoting safety | “… also it will identify who are you really talking about so that you don’t mix patients and may be you mix up the care and now out of that you can really mess up the life of these people.” (C19) | ||
Explaining and consenting women before examinations and procedures | Not important: 1 (2%) Somewhat: 7 (14.3%) Very important: 41 (83.7%) | Establishing rapport and creating an interpersonal connection with women | “It’s very important, to gain confidence or to work on the woman, you have to explain first…if at all you have not explained, then you get resistance; but if you have explained then it will go smoothly with the procedure.” (C15) “… when you are doing a procedure you will do it in a favorable environment, may be when you are doing a procedure and the patient is not informed or has not given you permission you will get a lot of difficulties because you will not do it the right way.” (C17) |
Respecting women’s rights and avoiding blame or legal actions | “Well, let me say when you look at the legal aspect of it because you may never know what can happen, pregnancy is a risk in itself so it is safe for the health care provider because in case of any legal issues then it shall have protected the health care worker and even the other thing is that, this woman will also know because if she is giving a consent of course you are going to explain, it is an informed consent, you explain what are you really going to do so this woman will also be knowing the care that she will receive” (C10) “That is what should be done and nowadays patients know their right and they are more informed so to be on the safer side is better you do the right thing” (C12) | ||
Empowering women and their families to be stakeholders in their health | “When you seek consent before doing any procedure the patient will be able to know that she has that power of deciding, and you will be at ease to carry out the procedure.” (C12) “Yes, very important to involve them in the care so that they also plan together with you and they own the care” (C1) | ||
Involving women and family in care | Not important: 0 (0%) Somewhat: 7 (14.6%) Very important: 41 (85.4%) | Empowering women and their families to be stakeholders in their health | “Yes it is important because when someone brings a mother, they [relatives] would want to know whether the unborn is okay or there could be a problem and the mother needs to be referred somewhere. Once you involve them to know the mothers condition they usually become settled in the mind and thus become comfortable knowing the mother will deliver. You find some mothers make a lot of noise during labor until the relatives also get worried whether there is a problem or whether they are going to deliver normally. Once the doctor explains to them that all is okay they immediately relax” (NC18) “… It is important because anything can happen anytime and anywhere so if they are not aware and they are not psychologically prepared then it will be difficult to channel out your communication.” (C20) |
Facilitating adherence, referrals and continuity of care | “It is important because if maybe you can talk with the mother may be they will forget but if the relative is there they will remind them to take quick action before that what you are thinking may happen” (C17) “… when you want the continuity of it, families have to be informed so that even when the lady leaves here and gets a problem she can easily be brought back and when they go home they will remind that client whether she has taken her medicine the way she was taught..” (C4) |