Influences on the antenatal clinic attendance of central province women in Port Moresby, PNG

Public antenatal health care services in the National Capital District (NCD) of Papua New Guinea are provided at some of the nurse operated urban satellite clinics and at a large outpatient clinic at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH). The major functions of the antenatal clinics are screening for high risk cases and giving routine medications. In this they are following the policy of the National Health Plan and the recommendations of the Public Health Department reports on which it was partially based. The purpose of this study was to examine some of the characteristics of a particular segment of the clientele at the PMGH antenatal clinic and to explore their motivation for attendance, especially the timing of their first visit. After an initial survey of the clinic record cards of all women attending the PMGH clinic in September 1980, interviews were conducted with a stratified sample of women attending clinic sometime between February and June 1981. Only women indigenous to the NCD and the surrounding province were included in the study. From clinic record cards, information was obtained on each woman's residence, birthplace, parity, gestational stage at first clinic visit, place of previous deliveries, clinical/laboratory measures and obstetric history. The interviews were conducted in a private room near the clinic in a language preferred by the interviewee. Their responses clarified some of the background data on their clinic cards and provided additional information on why they came to the clinic when they did. In general, the sample group was highly oriented toward Western-based medical care. They came to have themselves and their babies examined for possible problems, to receive the right amounts of the right medicines, and to get information. This was consistent with both policy and services. They also came because of the perceived effectiveness of the clinic and sometimes because it was the 'proper thing to do'. Many factors influenced their choice of when and where to seek antenatal services, including advice from husbands as well as from traditional female sources. Their previous experiences with hospitals and clinics and with pregnancy in general were also important.