2nd Edition of the Public Health and Midwifery World Conference 2026

Abstract

Background: Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) is essential to safe motherhood, ensuring dignity, autonomy, and quality care during childbirth. Mistreatment in health facilities undermines trust, reduces skilled birth attendance, and increases maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in low-resource settings. Understanding women’s lived experiences is critical for informing interventions to improve maternal safety and outcomes.

Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in public health facilities in Busia District, Uganda. Recently delivered women and maternity healthcare workers were purposively sampled. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic content analysis with Atlas.ti version 9. Quality assurance included pre-testing of tools, bilingual research assistants, and field supervision. Ethical approval, informed consent, and confidentiality were maintained.

Results: Some participants reported supportive and respectful care, but most described verbal abuse, neglect, lack of privacy, and non-consented procedures. Contributing factors included limited awareness of maternal rights, negative provider attitudes, gendered power imbalances, understaffing, overcrowding, and inadequate supplies. Cultural and spiritual beliefs also influenced care-seeking, sometimes delaying facility-based delivery.

Conclusion / Implications: Disrespect and abuse persist due to intersecting systemic, cultural, spiritual, and gender-related factors. Interventions to strengthen safe motherhood should include provider training, rights-based and culturally sensitive care, community awareness, and health system strengthening. Enhancing supportive care during childbirth can improve women’s experiences, increase skilled birth attendance, and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, aligning with global safe motherhood priorities.