Utilization of maternal perceptions of “person-centred maternal care” to plan better service delivery: a quality improvement study in a tertiary care center in Sri Lanka

Background: There is a lack of studies documenting the utilization of mothers’ views on person centred maternal care (PCMC) for improving quality of care (QOC). We collected women’s perceptions on PCMC and used them to develop interventions for improving QOC in a tertiary maternity care center in Sri Lanka. Methods Focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out with 39 mothers in post-delivery. Transcripts were thematically analyzed and findings presented in two meetings with 25 healthcare providers. Results FGDs revealed five key topics: 1) Mothers complained a lack of supportive care such as pain management, and staff in insufficient number; 2) Nearly all mothers lacked a companion in labor; 3) Most had some experience of lack of respect, dignity, privacy, and poor communication; 4) Most lacked awareness on the concept of autonomy; 5) Unsatisfactory cleanliness and lack of an adequate number of washrooms. Stakeholder meetings generated 10 possible interventions to improve QOC, with the top priority being workshops to improve communication skills and empowering women on their rights. Conclusions This study revealed gaps in PCMC, but showed that in settings such as Sri Lanka, women’s views can be used to develop consensus among hospital staff regarding context-specific interventions for improving QOC. Trial registration: Not Applicable