The present study aimed to understand healthcare providers' perceptions of behaviours constituting disrespect and abuse in labour rooms, and to document their recommendations to prevent and stop disrespect and abuse in labour rooms.

A qualitative approach to enquiry was adopted wherein in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 healthcare providers from three cadres: doctors, nurses, and class-four workers, from two public health facilities in Maharashtra, India. Participants were asked questions about their work profile and training, perceptions and practices of privacy, confidentiality and consent-taking, perceptions of mistreatment in labour rooms, perceptions and practices of the birth companion policy and offering different birth positions, recommendations to prevent violence in labour rooms, and implementation of respectful maternity care practices.

This study not only brings to fore the institutionalization of mistreatment of women, but also an example of efforts made to prevent such practice. The findings call for a holistic perspective towards quality of care during childbirth, taking into account patient-provider communication, and a childbirth experience free of discrimination, harm and ill-treatment.

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