Table 3.1, Main resource requirements for respectful maternity care (RMC) - WHO recommendations: Intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience

Resource	Description
Staff	▪ Adequate numbers of competent, trained, supervised and adequately remunerated skilled birth attendants with an appropriate skills mix, working in multidisciplinary teams that are able to provide dignified and continuous care to all women
Training	▪ Health care facility management: sensitized and oriented to RMC, and trained to develop and apply RMC policies ▪ Staff: regular practice-based, in-service training on RMC provision to enable effective delivery of RMC services that meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs of women (cultural competence); pre-service training; and orientation of new staff ▪ Outreach staff: training for effective community engagement, particularly with a focus on including women's voices and providing opportunities for community interaction with the service management and staff members, e.g. facility open days ▪ Other: orientation sessions for service users and companions
Supplies	▪ Written, up-to-date standards and benchmarks that outline clear goals, operational plans and monitoring mechanisms for RMC ▪ Provisions for staff in labour ward, e.g. refreshments ▪ Health education materials, in an accessible written or pictorial format and available in the languages of the communities served by the health care facility ▪ A standard informed consent form ▪ Information (written or pictorial, e.g. as leaflets) for the woman and her companion ▪ Essential medicines for labour and childbirth care available in sufficient quantities at all times in the labour and childbirth areas
Equipment	▪ Basic and adequate equipment for labour and childbirth that is available in sufficient quantities at all times in the labour and childbirth areas
Infrastructure	▪ Enhanced physical environment: • Rooming-in to allow women and their babies to remain together • Clean, appropriately illuminated, well ventilated labour, childbirth and neonatal areas that allow for privacy and are adequately equipped and maintained • Continuous energy supply in the labour, childbirth and neonatal areas • Clean and accessible bathrooms for use by women in labour • Safe drinking water, and a hand hygiene station, with soap or alcohol-based hand rubs • Curtains, screens, partitions and sufficient bed capacity • Facilities for labour companions, including physical private space for the woman and her companion ▪ On-site pharmacy and a medicine and supplies stock management system that is managed by a trained pharmacist or dispenser
Supervision and monitoring	▪ Regular supportive supervision by labour ward/facility lead ▪ Staff meetings to review RMC practices ▪ Easily accessible mechanism (e.g. a box) for service users and providers to submit complaints to management ▪ Establishment of accountability mechanisms for redress in the event of mistreatment or violations ▪ Establishment of informed consent procedures

Resource

Description

Staff

▪: Adequate numbers of competent, trained, supervised and adequately remunerated skilled birth attendants with an appropriate skills mix, working in multidisciplinary teams that are able to provide dignified and continuous care to all women

Training

▪: Health care facility management: sensitized and oriented to RMC, and trained to develop and apply RMC policies
▪: Staff: regular practice-based, in-service training on RMC provision to enable effective delivery of RMC services that meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs of women (cultural competence); pre-service training; and orientation of new staff
▪: Outreach staff: training for effective community engagement, particularly with a focus on including women's voices and providing opportunities for community interaction with the service management and staff members, e.g. facility open days
▪: Other: orientation sessions for service users and companions

Supplies

▪: Written, up-to-date standards and benchmarks that outline clear goals, operational plans and monitoring mechanisms for RMC
▪: Provisions for staff in labour ward, e.g. refreshments
▪: Health education materials, in an accessible written or pictorial format and available in the languages of the communities served by the health care facility
▪: A standard informed consent form
▪: Information (written or pictorial, e.g. as leaflets) for the woman and her companion
▪: Essential medicines for labour and childbirth care available in sufficient quantities at all times in the labour and childbirth areas

Equipment

▪: Basic and adequate equipment for labour and childbirth that is available in sufficient quantities at all times in the labour and childbirth areas

Infrastructure

▪

Enhanced physical environment:

•: Rooming-in to allow women and their babies to remain together
•: Clean, appropriately illuminated, well ventilated labour, childbirth and neonatal areas that allow for privacy and are adequately equipped and maintained
•: Continuous energy supply in the labour, childbirth and neonatal areas
•: Clean and accessible bathrooms for use by women in labour
•: Safe drinking water, and a hand hygiene station, with soap or alcohol-based hand rubs
•: Curtains, screens, partitions and sufficient bed capacity
•: Facilities for labour companions, including physical private space for the woman and her companion

▪

On-site pharmacy and a medicine and supplies stock management system that is managed by a trained pharmacist or dispenser

Supervision and monitoring

▪: Regular supportive supervision by labour ward/facility lead
▪: Staff meetings to review RMC practices
▪: Easily accessible mechanism (e.g. a box) for service users and providers to submit complaints to management
▪: Establishment of accountability mechanisms for redress in the event of mistreatment or violations
▪: Establishment of informed consent procedures

From: 3., Evidence and recommendations

WHO recommendations: Intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience.

Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018.

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Table 3.1Main resource requirements for respectful maternity care (RMC)