Magnitude and pattern of facility-based disrespect and abusive treatment of women during childbirth in Abia State, Nigeria

Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence and pattern of reported facility-based disrespect and abuse of women during labour in Abia State, South-East, Nigeria.Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based studySetting: One urban and one rural healthcare facility in Abia State- Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia and Nigerian Christian Hospital (NCH) Nlagu, respectively.Participants: A total of 312 women who were recently delivered of their babies in the two facilities in Abia State and attending postnatal clinics were sampled for the survey.Main Outcome Measure: Disrespect and abuse D&A) during labour among women who give birth in healthcare facilities in Abia State.Result: In all, over half (54.5%) of the women experienced disrespect and abuse in Abia State (50% urban and 63.5% in rural areas). The commonest form of disrespect and abuse was non-confidential care (22.9%). The commonest disrespectful and abusive care received was lack of privacy in the labour ward (18.3%).Conclusion: The study recorded a high prevalence of reported facility-based disrespect and abuse of women during delivery in Abia State. Training and re- raining healthcare providers to promote respectful care, advocacy to policy makers and healthcare stakeholders on the development of respectful maternal care policies and further research in the area are needed.