Antenatal care service satisfaction and its associated factors among pregnant women in public health centres in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

Background: Self-reported client satisfaction is vital in order to address service provider and facility-based factors that can be upgraded to maximise antenatal care (ANC) satisfaction and utilisation in service-providing institutions. Objective: This study aimed to assess ANC service satisfaction and associated factors among pregnant women attending Hawassa city public health centres (HC), Sidama regional state, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: This health facility–based cross-sectional study was conducted on 422 pregnant women from 14 March to 13 April 2017. Exit interview data were collected from pregnant women attending care service at five randomly selected public HC. Results: Overall, 79.2% were satisfied with the ANC service. As per specific components, 74.2% of respondents were satisfied with the information provided, and 74.2% were satisfied with the institution’s health care. Respondents who had received iron tablets were 3.2 times more likely to be satisfied than their counterparts (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–5.9). Pregnant women who were counselled on human immunodeficiency virus infection and its testing were 4.3 times more likely to be satisfied than those who had not received such counselling (AOR=4.3, 95% CI 2.2–8.4). Also, those women who waited ⩽30 minutes (AOR=2.6, 95% CI 1.2–5.5) and who received information on foetal movement (AOR=3.5, 95% CI 1.8–6.5) were significantly associated with ANC service satisfaction. Conclusion: More than 20% of pregnant women were not satisfied with ANC services. This reflects a need for attention in each aspect of health-care service provision in order to assure client satisfaction.