Women's perception of antenatal care services in public and private clinics in the Gambia.
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this study was to assess women's preferences and perception of antenatal healthcare services in public and private healthcare facilities.


METHODS
Descriptive cross-sectional study using a face-to-face interview based on the standardized World Health Organization questionnaire.


METHODS
Six public and six private health facilities in the Gambia.


METHODS
Five hundred and two pregnant women.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Patient's perception of antenatal services received was main outcome variables and measured in three aspects: willingness to come back, willingness to recommend to others and level of satisfaction.


RESULTS
The satisfaction rate with antenatal services was 79.9% for public facilities and 97.9% for private facilities. Pregnant women's poor perception with public facilities (after adjustment) included their unhappiness, with the following dimensions of antenatal care (ANC): inadequate privacy, inadequate space and neatness and inadequate communication with care providers.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that although women tended to be highly satisfied with both private and public ANC facilities, those attending public clinics were significantly less satisfied than those attending private clinics. The main complaints were related to the physical environment, technical process and provision of information or reassurance. Because public facilities constitute the main care providers for the general population and particularly for disadvantaged women, better management of public clinics and better training in communication skills for public care providers may help to retain women patients and improve the quality of ANC in the public sector.
International Health Program, Institute of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Isatou K
IK
Jallow
Yiing-Jenq
YJ
Chou
Tsai-Ling
TL
Liu
Nicole
N
Huang
D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005714:Gambia; D006801:Humans; D057240:Patient Preference; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018907:Privacy; D017149:Private Sector / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017150:Public Sector / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors