Quality of Antenatal Care in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Odisha: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Antenatal Care (ANC) is the starting point of continuum of care in pregnancy, labour and puerperium. Increased coverage and quality ANC averts 71% of neonatal death, 33% still birth and 54% of maternal death. Aim: To assess the quality of ANC service delivery in terms of examination, screening, counselling and treatment including the adequacy in number. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban setting at SCB Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha, India, from January 2020 to June 2021 to assess the quality of ANC service provided to women visiting the tertiary health care facility. Data was collected from the sample of 200 pregnant women who were recruited in the third trimester through non probability sampling. Quantity is actually sufficiency in number. However, all the services provided during ANC to screen for high risks factors from history, examinations, routine care like investigations, nutritional supplementation, counselling and health education were assessed under quality services by a questionnaire. Data were entered in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. Continuous variables were expressed in mean and SD. Categorical variables were expressed in proportion. Results: Total 72.5% of women made four or more visits to antenatal clinics. The mean age of participants were 26.1 +/- 4.0 years. The majority of participants were primigravida (47.5%). Total of 60% of the participants were of middle socio-economic status and maximum were having education upto primary level (46.5%). Total 78.5% of the women had done their first ANC check-up within the first trimester. Haemoglobin level, blood grouping typing and blood sugar were estimated among 96.5%, 93.5% and 96.0% of the women, respectively. Counselling about danger signs of pregnancy was done in 15.5% cases and birth preparedness and emergency readiness was done in only 7.0% of women. Conclusion: The study revealed that the health facility is providing better coverage of ANC services by the tertiary level service providers. Most of the routine investigations, vaccinations and necessary supplementation were in accordance with World Health Organisation focussed ANC model.