Determinants of Disparity between Antenatal Bookings and Institutional Deliveries in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria

Aim: To determine the reasons why women deliver outside institutions where they register for antenatal care.

Study Design: Qualitative study.

Place and Duration of Study: Antenatal clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in February 2018.

Methodology: A qualitative study using in-depth interviews (IDIs) was conducted in Port Harcourt, Nigeria to collect information on various reasons why women do not deliver where they received antenatal care (ANC) or with skilled birth attendants (SBAs). This was done using structured interview guides. Specifically, we asked 30 pregnant women to elucidate the circumstances that lead women to deliver in places other than where they had received antenatal care, and recommendations to enhance the number of women delivering with skilled birth attendants. All in-depth interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and content-analyzed.

Results: Thirty IDIs were carried out. The women were all pregnant; aged 20 to 43 years old with mean age of 32.9 ± 5.5 years. The broad themes that emerged from their responses: Cost/financial reasons relating to inability to afford the cost of care in the hospitals, personal reasons such as fear of Caesarean section, and hospital-related reasons such as health workers’ strike action.

Conclusion: Evidence from our study indicates that pregnant women’s non-use of skilled birth attendants during childbirth even when they received antenatal care in the hospital is mainly due to financial, personal and hospital-related reasons. These factors are modifiable and should be targeted to increase delivery with skilled attendants, a key strategy for the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity.