The assessment of satisfaction with care in the perinatal period

Abstract

Patient satisfaction is frequently used to evaluate the quality of medical care and to guide the development of health care services. Improved satisfaction is a goal recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the government of the United Kingdom for health care reform. During the perinatal period, dynamic changes in physical and psychological state impose unique challenges in the assessment of satisfaction. This article reviews the measurement of satisfaction with care, together with factors that may influence satisfaction and its measurement during the perinatal period. Recommendations are also provided for further research and development of satisfaction instruments and potential interventions to improve satisfaction with perinatal care.

Keywords::

• Patient satisfaction
• quality of care
• patient decision-making
• patient-provider relationship
• perinatal medicine

Declaration of Interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest.

Current knowledge on this subject

• Perinatal satisfaction is associated with dynamic physical and emotional changes unique to parturition.

• Satisfaction decreases with time postpartum coincident with changing mood.

• Measured satisfaction with care and with the childbirth experience may be difficult to distinguish from one another and may be influenced by expectation fulfillment, caregiver support, and sense of control and efficacy.

What this study adds

• Factors that influence satisfaction with perinatal care should be determined as part of satisfaction measurement and may be targets for interventions to improve satisfaction.