Overcoming barriers and harnessing facilitators: Respectful maternity care in least-developed countries - a systematic review

Ephrem Yohannes; Gonfa Moti; Eshetu E Chaka; Laura Gabriel; Debra Creedy; Carolyn Hastie

doi:10.1177/17455057261450176

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Overcoming barriers and harnessing facilitators: Respectful maternity care in least-developed countries - a systematic review

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Overcoming barriers and harnessing facilitators: Respectful maternity care in least-developed countries - a systematic review

Ephrem Yohannes, Gonfa Moti, Eshetu E Chaka, Laura Gabriel, Debra Creedy and Carolyn Hastie

Women's Health, Vol.22, pp.1-19

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057261450176

PMID: 42308389

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Abstract

Midwifery

barriers

faciliators

least-developed countries

respectful maternity care

This review examined what facilitates and what challenges respectful maternity care (RMC) in least-developed countries. After analysing 48 studies, the review found that barriers and facilitators exist at multiple levels, including individual knowledge and attitudes, relationships between care providers and patients, health facility resources, national policies, and wider cultural norms. Strengthening RMC is essential to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. The review highlights the need for better policies, improved health system infrastructure, and targeted training for healthcare providers. It also recommends developing RMC guidelines and measures tailored to the local context.

Details

Title: Overcoming barriers and harnessing facilitators: Respectful maternity care in least-developed countries - a systematic review
Authors: Ephrem Yohannes (Corresponding Author) - Ambo University
Gonfa Moti (Author) - Ambo University
Eshetu E Chaka (Author) - Ambo University
Laura Gabriel (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Debra Creedy (Author) - Griffith University
Carolyn Hastie (Author) - Griffith University
Publication details: Women's Health, Vol.22, pp.1-19
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1177/17455057261450176
ISSN: 1745-5065
PMID: 42308389
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Data Availability: All relevant data to the review are included in the paper or uploaded as an additional file.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Midwifery
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991239199102621
Output Type: Journal article

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