Choice of Anaesthesia for Caesarean Section Among Female Health Workers

Abstract

Current trend in anaesthesia for obstetric patient is toward regional anaesthesia with less general anaesthesia, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists has proposed that 85% of emergency Caesarean section should be carried out under regional anaesthesia. It had been documented that general anaesthesia was found to be associated with 12.5% maternal mortality, while regional anaesthesia is associated with a reduction in maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this survey therefore is to assess the knowledge and attitude of female health workers to the use of spinal anaesthesia for Caesarean delivery. Two hundred and fifty respondents were obtained, and most of them 170 (68.0%) would prefer spinal anaesthesia for Caesarean section. It was found that spinal anaesthesia was chosen by those with higher educational status, who also were the people in the higher medical cadre. Previous experience of anaesthesia significantly affects the choice of anaesthetic technique for Caesarean section (df = 2, p= 0.019, X²= 7.939). Pre-operative counselling should aim to dispel patients' misconceptions, fears and anxieties about anaesthesia generally.

Key words:Spinal anaesthesia, Choice, Caesarean section.