Accuracy of Patient Perceptions of Maternity Facility Quality and the Choice of Providers

Zeina Siam , Harvard University
Margaret McConnell, Harvard School of Public Health
Jessica Cohen

Introduction.Delivering in high-quality facilities is key to averting preventable maternal and newborn mortality. Accuracy of pregnant women’s perceptions of facility quality, and how these perceptions affect facility choice, are under-studied. Aim.This study assessed the association between perception accuracy and the quality of chosen facility. Methods. An index was constructed to objectively compare technical quality at 64 facilities in Nairobi, Kenya. 180 pregnant women ranked facilities they were considering by perceived quality. A binary variable for perception accuracy was constructed by comparing a woman’s ranking of facilities to the index ranking.The association between perception accuracy and quality of care at ultimate facility of choice was analyzed using multivariate regressions. Results. Accurate perceptions was associated with delivering in a facility with a 0.064(p=0.031) higher quality index score and with 0.367(p=0.033) lower odds of delivering within the bottom quartile of the index. Conclusion. Inaccurate perceptions are associated with utilizing lower quality facilities.

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 Presented in Session 10. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior & Reproductive Health 2