Access to Labour Pain Relief: Perspective of Post-Natal Women within the Accra Metropolis

Abstract

Pain during child birth is unparalleled, it is a global phenomenon that pervades all societies regardless of race, creed, geographical location and economic status. In Africa, attitudes, perceptions and beliefs regarding pain during vaginal birth influence the whole experience of child birth. The concept of access to labour pain relief during spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) has not been explored much; this qualitative study was therefore conducted to explore access to labour pain relief among post-natal women who had SVD in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana. An exploratory descriptive design was used to achieve the aim of the study, purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants and data saturation was achieved with twelve (12) participants. Individual interviews were done and audiotaped, verbatim transcriptions were made and analyzed qualitatively using thematic content analysis. The study was guided by the Access to Health Care Model developed by Penchansky and Thomas, (1981). Findings revealed five main themes namely; availability of labour pain relief, accessibility of labour pain relief, accommodation of LPR, affordability of LPR and acceptability of LPR. This study revealed that post-natal women had similar experiences with labour pain management. They experienced immense pain and were ignored amidst shouts for help with pain management; the limited labour pain relief options available were not easily accessible to the women, there was no antenatal education and preparation for the management of labour pain and despite being registered with the NHIS, women had to pay exorbitant fees for delivery services. In conclusion, it is recommended that health care facilities must ensure the availability of LPR as part of routine care during labour, women in labour should have access to effective pain management, finally, delivery services should be covered by the NHIS and should include all forms of labour analgesia. Key words: Access, Labour Pain Relief, Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery, Post-Natal Women.