Developing evidence-based maternity care in Iran: a quality improvement study

Table 2 The highly-ranked women's needs and requirements weighed by analytical hierarchy process (AHP)

Needs and requirements	% Relative weight	% Cumulative weight
1. Well-being of baby	9.0	9.0
2. Well-being of women	6.4	15.4
3. Low-pain labour	5.6	21.0
4. Caring and sensitive staff	4.3	25.3
5. Frequent monitoring	4.2	29.5
6. Privacy during birth and vaginal examination	3.8	33.3
7. Quick response to requests	3.1	36.4
8. Labour and childbirth education	2.9	39.3
9. Provision of comfort	2.9	42.2
10. Listening to the fetal heartbeat	2.8	45.0
11. Vaginal birth	2.8	47.8
12. Companionship after birth	2.7	50.5
13. Immediate opportunity to see the newborn	2.5	53.0
14. Bed linen changed frequently	2.5	55.5
15. Improved hospital facilities	2.4	57.9
16. Painless vaginal examination	2.3	60.2
17. Short labour	2.2	62.4
18. Helping mother with breastfeeding	2.2	64.6
19. Clean labour ward	2.2	66.8
20. Quick admission	2.0	68.8

* Cumulative weight demonstrates that 37% of the most important needs and requirements (20 of 54) address about 70% of women values and preferences.