Tefera G Negash and Valerie J Ehlers
Background: In Ethiopia, only 50% of pregnant women use the available services to prevent vertical transmission of HIV. It is unknown why 50% of pregnant women fail to use these services risking deterioration of their own health and increasing the chance that their babies will be infected with HIV. Objectives: The study aimed to identify whether pregnant women’s satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the following aspects influenced their utilization of these services: health facilities’ infrastructure, accessibility and affordability of services, and interactions with nurses/midwives. Methods: Three trained research assistants conducted individual structured interviews with 384 women (out of a population of 796 women) who used prevention of vertical transmission of HIV services in Addis Ababa from May to November 2013. Results: Most women were satisfied with the health facilities’ infrastructure, accessibility and affordability and with their interactions with nurses/midwives. However, the waiting times at the facilities were long and medicines were sometimes unavailable. Some nurses/midwives used unfamiliar words and ignored patients’ questions. No major source of patients’ dissatisfaction with the services was identified. Recommendations: These services might be utilized by more pregnant women if they were free of charge, waiting times at clinics and pharmacies could be reduced, medicines were always available, and nurses/midwives avoided using unfamiliar words and answered all patients’ questions. Conclusion: No definite source of dissatisfaction with the service was identified that could have prevented women from using the service. However, if the identified shortcomings are addressed, the service could be improved and more pregnant women might use it in future.
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