Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: The continuum of care (CoC) in maternal and neonatal services among women in Ethiopia was low because of individual and cultural barriers.

Aim: This study aims to identify factors that hindered the utilisation of the CoC services.

Setting: The study took place in the Assosa Zone of north-western Ethiopia.

Methods: A qualitative study using audio-taped individual interviews was conducted. A total of 52 study participants were purposefully recruited from the Assosa Zone. Thematic analysis was employed to identify major themes and categories from the transcripts.

Results: Findings revealed the economic situation of women as the underlying barrier to women accessing and utilising maternal and neonatal CoC services. Presumably, high transport and medical costs and the inability to pay the raised costs were drivers to discontinuity of the CoC of maternal and neonatal services. Other barriers to utilisation of CoC services were found to be workload in the households, secreting pregnancy, traditional beliefs, husbands’ attitude and religion, awareness gaps in pregnancy, and maternal and neonatal care. These factors are thus regarded as important barriers to the utilisation of continuity of care in maternal and neonatal services in Ethiopia.

Conclusion: Moreover, economic, cultural and religious factors, maternal awareness and husbands featured as significant barriers to the utilisation of maternal and neonatal CoC services in Ethiopia.

Contribution: The findings revealed the economic situation of women as a barrier to the CoC in maternal and neonatal services utilisation, manifesting itself in unaffordable transport and medication user fees.