Counseling preferences of parturients recently delivered by caesarean section

Abstract

Counseling for caesarean section is an essential aspect of the pre-operative preparation. This consists of information on diagnosis, indication, safety, complications, pain management and addressing other  concerns of the patient. This counseling leads to improved uptake of the procedure and increases patient  satisfaction. This study has been designed to assess the counseling received and to document the  counseling desires of parturients undergoing caesarean section at the University of Benin Teaching  Hospital, Benin City. It was a cross-sectional descriptive survey of 248 consecutive consenting parturients who were between 3 and 4 days post caesarean section. An interviewer administered  questionnaire was used to seek information on the subjects of this study. A total of 56.6% of respondents  reported having no health talk whatsoever about caesarean section during the antenatal care. While over  90% had counseling on the indication, there was less emphasis on safety, complication and pain relief  following the procedure. Over two thirds of the respondents will like to have information on the possible  complications and the effect on future reproduction of the caesarean delivery. Notable important concepts that these respondents will like discussed include likelihood of subsequent vaginal delivery, family  planning options, interval before sexual intercourse and timing of subsequent pregnancy. The majority of  women undergoing caesarean delivery desire to have relevant information necessary for them to give  consent including those on safety, complication and other relevant reproductive health concerns due to  the caesarean section.