E-poster Presentation Title: Beyond the Doctor’s Office: Exploring Women’s Experiences with Maternal Health Care in Nigeria using the Patient’s Journey Mapping Approach

Introduction

Nigeria accounts for 28% of global maternal deaths. Understanding patient experiences is vital for improving care quality and birth outcomes. Traditional approaches often focus narrowly on treatment, neglecting broader patient experiences. This research fills that gap by offering comprehensive insights into the maternal healthcare journey.

Method

This study uses patient journey mapping, a method rarely applied to maternal health research in low- and middle-income countries, to explore women’s experiences across five key stages: awareness, consideration, access, treatment, and recovery. It adopts a longitudinal qualitative design, following twelve pregnant women (including those with disabilities) from third trimester through six weeks post-delivery. Data was collected across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare levels.

Key Findings

The journey map revealed systemic inefficiencies, including long waiting times, poor patient–provider interactions, delayed test results, and inadequate postpartum support. Structural and relational gaps were evident across all stages. Notably, women valued compassionate care, clear communication, and continuity.

Implications

Findings highlight the importance of experience-informed improvements. Training programmes for providers and greater integration of patient feedback into health system design are recommended. Policymaker engagement in Nigeria has already been secured to support implementation and scale-up.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Imperial College London (President’s Scholarship) and The George Institute for Global Health for funding this research.

References

(References available on the poster PDF)