Objective
to examine the structural an
d sociocultural factors influencing maternity waiting home (MWH) use through the lens of women, families, an
d communities in one rural county in postconflict Liberia.
Design
an exploratory, qualitative descriptive design using focus groups and in-depth, individual interviews was employed. Content analysis of data was performed using five A's of access as a guiding framework.
Setting
rural communities in north-central Liberia.
Participants
a convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. Eight focus groups were held with 75 participants from congruent groups of (1) MWH users, (2) MWH non-users, (3) family members of MWH users, and (4) family members of MWH non-users. Eleven individual interviews were conducted with clinic staff or community leaders.
Findings
the availability of MWHs decreased the barrier of distance for women to access skilled care around the time of childbirth. Food insecurity while staying at a MWH was identified as a potential barrier by participants.
Key conclusions
examining access as a general concept within the specific dimensions of availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability provides a way to describe the structural and sociocultural factors that influence access to a MWH and skilled attendance for birth.
Implications for practice
MWHs can address the barrier of distance in accessing skilled care for childbirth in a rural setting with long distances to a facility.
