JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Respectful maternity care (RMC) is a key barometer of the underlying quality of care women receive during pregnancy and childbirth. Efforts to measure RMC have largely been qualitative, although validated quantitative tools are emerging. Available tools have been limited to the measurement of RMC during childbirth and confined to observational and face to face survey modes. Phone surveys are less invasive, lower cost, rapid alternatives to traditional face to face methods, yet little is known about their validity and reliability.

Objective:

The primary objective of this study is to develop validated face to face and phone survey tools for measuring RMC during pregnancy and childbirth for use India and other low resource settings. The secondary objective is to optimize strategies for improving the delivery of phone surveys for use in measuring RMC.

Methods:

Data collection will be carried out in four districts of Madhya Pradesh, India from July to October 2018. To develop face to face and phone surveys for measuring RMC we describe procedures for assessing content, criterion, and construct validity as well as reliability analyses. To optimize the delivery of phone surveys, we outline plans for sub-studies which aim to assess the effect of survey modality, and content on survey response, completion, and attrition rates.

Results:

To our knowledge, this is the first RMC phone survey tool developed for India which may provide an opportunity for the rapid, routine collection of data essential for improving the quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Conclusions:

Elsewhere phone survey tools are emerging, however, efforts to develop these surveys are often not inclusive of rigorous pre-testing activities essential for ensuring quality data, including cognitive, reliability, and validity testing. In the absence of these activities, emerging data could over- or under-estimate the burden of disease and/or health care practices under assessment. In the context of RMC, poor quality data could have adverse consequences including the ‘naming and shaming’ of providers. By outlining a blueprint of the minimum activities required to generate reliable and valid phone survey tools, we hope to improve efforts to develop and deploy phone surveys in the health sector.