Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women regarding epidural analgesia: a multicentre study from a developing country
Publication Type
Original research
Authors

Background:  Epidural analgesia has emerged as one of the best methods that can be used to reduce labour pain. This study was conducted to assess awareness, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women who visited maternity and antenatal healthcare clinics about epidural analgesia during normal vaginal birth. Methods:  This multicentre study was conducted in a cross-sectional design among pregnant women using a pre-tested questionnaire. The study population in this study was pregnant women who visited maternity and antenatal healthcare clinics in Palestine. Results:  In this study, a total of 389 pregnant women completed the questionnaire. Of the pregnant women, 381 (97.9%) were aware of the existence of epidural analgesia, 172 (44.2%) had already used epidural analgesia, and 57 (33.1%) experienced complications as a result of epidural analgesia. Of the pregnant women, 308 (79.2%) stated that epidural analgesia should be available during vaginal birth. Of the pregnant women, 243 (62.5%) stated that they would use epidural analgesia if offered for free or covered by insurance. Multivariate logistic regression showed that women who were younger than 32years, who have used epidural analgesia, and those who stated that epidural analgesia should be available during vaginal birth were 2.78-fold (95% CI: 1.54–5.04), 4.96-fold (95% CI: 2.71–9.10), and 13.57-fold (95% CI: 6.54–28.16) more likely to express willingness to use epidural analgesia, respectively. Conclusions:  Pregnant women had high awareness of the existence, moderate knowledge, and positive attitudes towards epidural analgesia for normal vaginal birth. Future studies should focus on educating pregnant women about all approaches that can be used to reduce labour pain including their risks and benefits.

Journal
Title
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Publisher Country
United Kingdom
Indexing
Thomson Reuters
Impact Factor
0.9
Publication Type
Both (Printed and Online)
Volume
44
Year
2024
Pages
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