Article Sidebar
Published:
Oct 12, 2021Keywords:
Article Details
The author(s) retain copyright on work published by AOSIS unless specified otherwise.
Licensing and publication rights
Author(s) of work published by AOSIS are required to grant AOSIS the unlimited rights to publish the definitive work in any format, language and medium, for any lawful purpose. AOSIS requires journal authors to publish their work in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
The authors retain the non-exclusive right to do anything they wish with the published article(s), provided attribution is given to the applicable journal with details of the original publication, as set out in the official citation of the article published in the journal. The retained right specifically includes the right to post the article on the authors’ or their institution’s websites or in institutional repositories.
Previously published work may have been published under a different licence. We advise the community that if they would like to reuse the work to consult the applicable licence at article level.
Note: If you need to comply with your funding body policy, you can apply for the CC BY license after your manuscript is accepted for publication.
Main Article Content
Perspectives on waiting times in an antenatal clinic: A case study in the Western Cape
Justine C. Baron
Doreen Kaura
Abstract
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is vital in reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Globally, 85% of women had one ANC visit with a skilled birth attendant and only 58% received the recommended four ANC visits. Long waiting times (LWTs) in the antenatal clinic affects the utilisation of the service. Long waiting times are viewed as a significant barrier to ANC utilisation and needs further investigation.
Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and describe the contextual realities within the antenatal clinic that influenced waiting times (WTs).
Setting: This study was conducted in an antenatal clinic, within a Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU), Western Cape, South Africa.
Methods: This study utilised a qualitative methodology with a single case study design with three embedded units of analysis. Purposive sampling was used to recruit the participants. Data were collected through unstructured observation and semi-structured interviews with pregnant women and midwives. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using the framework method.
Results: The antenatal clinics had LWTs. The barriers to WTs were related to staff factors, patient factors, operational factors, communication, equipment and infrastructure and other research participant recruitment.
Conclusion: The factors that influenced WTs are multifaceted and interrelated. Many of the factors influencing the WTs could be remedied by implementing appropriate workflow strategies, improving communication and increasing equipment availability. The findings can be used to develop waiting time guidelines and improve WTs in the antenatal clinic.
