WOMENS SATISFACTION WITH PRENATAL-CARE SETTINGS - A FOCUS GROUP-STUDY

Background: Patient satisfaction is considered together with health st atus, to be an outcome of the delivery of health care services as well as a measure of its quality A focus group study of 50 low-income Mexi can-American, Puerto Rican, African-American, and white women in Chica go, Illinois, explored the characteristics of prenatal care that affec t women's satisfaction, Methods: Transcripts from the focus groups wer e analyzed using researcher-derived coding categories to develop broad themes. Results: Despite their diverse ethnic backgrounds, participan ts revealed few differences with respect to what they value in prenata l car e. Aspects of care that appeared to affect women's satisfaction included the ''art of care,'' the technical competence of the practiti oner continuity of caregiver; and the atmosphere and physical environm ent of the care setting. The one characteristic that did not appear to affect satisfaction was the caregiver's ethnicity. Conclusion: Knowle dge of how the characteristics of prenatal care affect women's satisfa ction can help increase use of care and ultimately improve perinatal o utcomes.