DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h2r4r
title: Data from: Do experiences and perceptions about quality of care differ among social groups in Nepal? : A study of maternal healthcare experiences of women with and without disabilities, and Dalit and non-Dalit women

description: Background: Suboptimal quality of care and disparities in services by
 healthcare providers are often reported in Nepal. Experience and
 perceptions about quality of care may differ according to women’s
 socio-cultural background, individual characteristics, their exposure and
 expectations. This study aimed to compare perceptions of the quality of
 maternal healthcare services between two groups that are consistently
 considered vulnerable, women with disabilities from both the non-Dalit
 population and Dalit population and their peers without disabilities from
 both non-Dalit and Dalit communities. Methods: A cross-sectional survey
 was conducted among 343 total women that included women with disabilities,
 Dalits and non-Dalits. Women were recruited for interview, who were aged
 15–49 years, had been pregnant within the last five years and who had used
 maternal care services in one of the public health facilities of Rupandehi
 district. A 20-item, Likert-type scale with four sub-scales or dimensions:
 ‘Health Facility’, ‘Healthcare Delivery’, ‘Inter-personal’ and ‘Access to
 Care’ was used to measure women’s perceptions of quality of care.
 Chi-square test and t test were used to compare groups and to assess
 differences in perceptions; and linear regression was applied to assess
 confounding effects of socio-demographic factors. The mean score was
 compared for each item and separately for each dimension. Results: All
 groups, women with disabilities and women without disabilities, Dalit and
 non-Dalit rated their perceptions and experiences of quality of care lowly
 in a number of items. While perceived quality of care between women with
 disabilities and without disabilities in the ‘Health Facility’ dimension
 and associated items, was found to differ (p&lt;0.05), this difference
 was linked to disability status, but was not linked to caste differences.
 For example, differences in mean scores relating to ‘Cleanliness and
 Facilities’, ‘Open and Friendliness’ and ‘Compassion and Kindness’ were
 highly significant (p&lt;0.001), with women with disabilities rating
 these as better than women without disabilities. On the other hand, women
 without disabilities rated the ‘Availability of cash Incentives’ more
 highly (p&lt;0.01). No significant differences were found between
 Dalit and non-Dalit women in perceived quality of care, except in relation
 to ‘Cleanliness and facilities’, which Dalit women rated lower than
 non-Dalits (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: Perceptions about the quality of
 care differed significantly by disability status but not by caste. All
 groups rated the quality of healthcare delivery, interpersonal and
 personal factors as well as access to services ‘low.’ Poor service user
 experiences and perceptions of quality of care undermine opportunities to
 translate increased healthcare coverage into improved access and outcomes.
 Greater attention is required by policy makers, health planners and
 providers to the improvement of quality of care in health facilities.
description: Devkota_Perception
 Survey_Data SetPrimary data, collected
 in the field. Data analysed using SPSS and transferred to
 XL