Perceptions of Respectful Maternity Care among Postnatal Women at a Tertiary Care Hospital in New Delhi

Background: Compassionate support and a nurturing environment are essential for a positive, dignified birthing experience. A dearth of respectful maternity care not only undermines the overall quality of services but also has far-reaching implications on women's healthcare-seeking behaviour and trust in the health system. Despite increasing institutional deliveries in India, evidence suggests that mistreatment and lack of respectful care persist in healthcare settings. This study assesses the perceptions of RMC among postnatal women in a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi and explores its associations with socio-demographic factors. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 postnatal women at Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi. Participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-tested interview which consisted of questions related to their socio-demographic details, obstetric history, domestic or intimate partner violence history and the Person-centered Maternity care (PCMC) scale. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine associations between socio-demographic and obstetric factors and RMC scores using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25, and p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: All participants (100%) reported overall satisfaction with their delivery experience while significant gaps in RMC were observed. Primigravida subjects were more likely to receive an episiotomy compared to multigravida. Only 33.3% had a birth companion present, despite LaQshya guidelines, and a significant association was found between the presence of a birth companion during the current delivery and the PCMC scores. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of a birth companion (AOR = 4.593; 95% CI: 2.393–8.815; p < 0.001) and having a male baby (AOR = 1.718; 95% CI: 1.028–2.87; p = 0.039) were significantly associated with higher RMC scores. Conclusions: The findings highlight critical gaps in RMC implementation, despite high institutional delivery rates. Strengthening provider training, ensuring birth companionship, and fostering policy enforcement are recommended for improving maternity care quality. Trial registration: This study was registered in the Clinical Trials Registry - India (CTRI) on 31 ^st July 2023 under the postgraduate thesis as CTRI/2023/07/055918.