Jordanian women's perceptions of post-partum health care

Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore Jordanian childbearing women's perceptions of their needs for health care and the post-partum healthcare services they received. Methods: Twenty-four Jordanian childbearing women participated in the focus groups. Discussions focused on infant and maternal health concerns, access to post-partum health care, including family-planning services, the characteristics and behaviour of healthcare providers, and suggestions for the provision of quality maternal post-partum health care. Findings: The majority of the women indicated that most of the services perceived and provided during the postnatal period were related to child care. They indicated that they attend post-natal visits mostly for treatment, family planning and/or child care and stated that they have not been told about the post-natal visits during pregnancy, or after giving birth. Conclusions: Study findings provided insight and understanding of women's perspectives on post-partum health care and implied a need to translate qualitative findings into clinical practice guidelines. It is suggested that the Jordanian Ministry of Health develops a comprehensive plan to improve educational offerings for post-partum women, and ensure that all healthcare facilities offer affordable and high-quality post-partum health care.