Women's experiences of and satisfaction with childbirth: Development and validation of a measurement scale for low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

Background Measuring person-centered maternity care outcomes typically consists of two types of measures: experiences of care and satisfaction with care. There are limited validated measurement tools for these measures, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The QUALI-DEC study aims to improve decision-making around caesarean section. We describe development of the QUALI-DEC Study Birth Experience and Satisfaction (QD-BES) scale, and scale validation in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Methods We used a three-phase scale development and validation approach: 1) item development, 2) scale development, and 3) scale evaluation. We systematically identified exis..