United States – A recent investigation reveals that over 10 percent of women who gave birth in america dare to bear mistreatment from healthcare workers, as one in eight women disclose their ill-treatment experience during the birthing process.
Forms of Mistreatment
The statistics from the project show that at least 8% of the women were rejected during the laboring process with the expressed assistance request. Moreover, 4% described the interaction with healthcare providers as being shouted at and scolded, while 2% reported that they were threatened with refusal of treatment or forced to take unneeded medication, as reported by HealthDay.
Impact of Social Stigma
Lead researcher Chen Liu underscores the influence of societal stigma on the birthing experience and the provision of care, with LGBTQ-identifying individuals being twice as likely to experience mistreatment, primarily driven by feeling forced into unwelcome care or denied desired treatment.
Long-Term Consequences
Negative childbirth experiences can have enduring consequences, including posttraumatic stress disorder, poor body image, and decreased likelihood of having another child, underscoring the importance of addressing mistreatment during childbirth.
Call to Action for Improvement
The study’s senior researcher, Jamie Daw, emphasizes the need for respectful maternity care as a vital quality metric in the United States healthcare system, advocating for interventions to address structural factors contributing to mistreatment during childbirth.
Urgent Need for Patient-Centered Interventions
Investigators emphasize the need to implement and appraise patient-centered interventions to address mistreatment during childbirth, in particular by holding healthcare providers responsible and improving childbirth for every female as per HealthDay report.
Comprehensive Approach NeededWhile the research was centered on mistreatment during the time of childbirth, the experts who were consulted did not rule out the possibility of similar behavior during the pregnancy, or even after the delivery. This has been attributed to a comprehensive approach to address mistreatment across all stages of maternal care.