ArticleBMC health services research2025
Understanding the maternal sepsis patient journey in Malawi: "I called for help, but they showed no interest in helping me".
Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundIn Malawi, there is a limited understanding of the personal experiences of women who have survived severe maternal infections that led to sepsis and their perspectives on the care they received. It is essential to consider women’s experiences to improve the quality of care for severe maternal outcomes and provide responsive, patient-centered care. This study aimed to explore the experiences of maternal sepsis survivors in Malawi to improve sepsis care and management.
methodsA qualitative descriptive design study was conducted from April to May 2023 in Blantyre, Malawi. Pregnant, postpartum, and postabortion women older than 16 years who had sepsis were included in the study via purposive sampling. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at the women’s homes or convenient locations. A thematic analysis was performed using the Three Delays and Respectful Maternity Care frameworks to analyse the interview data.
resultsWomen with sepsis faced multiple barriers to accessing care, mainly delays in receiving adequate and appropriate care at health facilities. The key barriers mentioned by participants highlighted the inadequate monitoring, inadequate clinical management of infections, delays in diagnosis and treatment, and delays in providing lifesaving obstetric skills at the health facility. Some women also experienced mistreatment by healthcare providers, such as verbal abuse, neglect, abandonment, lack of dignity, disrespect, denial of care, and inequitable treatment. Additionally, some women continue to experience long-term physical and psychological complications from maternal sepsis.
conclusionUnderstanding patient experiences is essential for improving the quality of maternal sepsis care and management. Patient narratives can inform policy and maternal healthcare, highlighting the need for feedback-based systems. These insights are relevant to other resource-constrained settings facing high maternal infection rates. Comprehensive, patient-centred interventions are crucial for managing maternal infections which lead to sepsis, thus reducing preventable morbidity and mortality.
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