The Nexus of Healthcare Professionals’ Conduct and Curtailing the Utilization of Unskilled Maternity Care

The art and science of caring in health practice are interwoven with professional conduct exhibited by healthcare professionals.These professional conducts include demonstrating respect for patients and observing their rights with dignity. [1,2]But the human need for respect is more pronounced when dealing with private aspects of life.This makes maternity care a very sensitive and delicate part of healthcare practices.It requires extra attention and focus on women's fundamental rights.One of the fundamental rights of women is respectful maternity care.] Averting these sensitive needs can provoke women's dissatisfaction, which could instigate human protective mechanisms, and in turn use of unskilled maternity care.Pregnant women's dissatisfaction with care could reduce the possibility of hospital antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care.Thus, there is a possible connection between the use of maternity care and healthcare providers' conduct.This commentary is based on the recent study by Genevieve Agboyo and colleagues on the use of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in Ghana, where it was found that the prevalence of TBA use at childbirth was 26.5%, and 32% of respondents had used TBA services at least once in the past. [3]The study found that the attitude of antenatal care providers was a significant determinant of unskilled maternity care utilization.The study findings indicate that women who had friendly interactions and positive experiences with healthcare professionals attended more skilled maternity care compared with those who had unfriendly and negative experiences with healthcare professionals.The authors asserted that disrespect of women by unskilled staff in the maternity ward instils fear of using healthcare facilities for women.