Antenatal Care Users, Health Care Providers’ Perception and Experience on Antenatal Care Health Education: Qualitative Study at Five Public Health Centers, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2020

Abstract Background: Providing antenatal care health education is one of the elements that promote the health of women by preventing pregnancy-related issues and assisting pregnant women to apprehend delivery preparedness and complications readiness plan. However, healthcare providers offer underprovided and too little information to women. Moreover, assessment of health care provider’s health education interventions in antenatal care services has not yet been studied in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to explore and describe perceptions and experiences of pregnant women and health care providers’ health education during antenatal care.Methods: A Qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore the awareness and experience of pregnant women and health care providers of antenatal health education at deliberately selected health centers. Focused group discussions and key informant interviews were used to gather data using an interview guide from pregnant women and health care providers working at antenatal care from June 20-30, 2018 respectively.Results: The qualitative findings have shown that the provision of antenatal care health education is insufficient. Especially there is health care provider misunderstand birth preparedness and complication readiness health education. Factors such as time, work overload, and personal perceptions of health care professionals, women's duty at home, and a growing number of clients influence the delivery of antenatal care health education.Conclusions: In general antenatal care, health education provided by health professionals during antenatal care was inadequate and affected by various factors. Therefore, the researcher of this study recommends that policy makers and programmers to develop a strategy to strengthen health education in the antenatal care service that will contribute to health education is critical in the prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity related to pregnancy danger signs awareness problem.