Evaluation of the knowledge and attitude of obstetric patients on epidural analgesia

Epidural analgesia (EA) is one of the most commonly used techniques in obstetric analgesia. Our objective was to evaluate patients who experienced EA during labour as well as to find out their knowledge, attitude and behaviour in this matter, prospectively. Between 1997 and 2002, a questionnaire, “patient evaluation form for EA”, was delivered to 190 obstetric patients. The patients were divided into two groups. In Group I there were 100 patients who were evaluated between 1997 and 1999, and Group II was comprised of 90 patients who were evaluated between 2000 and 2002. Demographic data of the patients were similar in both groups. The question “How have you been informed about EA?” was replied as “TV or newspaper” by 50 % of the patients in Group I while the answer was “from someone who experienced it before” by 60 % of the patients in Group II (p<0.01). With these information about EA, 30 % and 40 % of the patients in Group I were found out to be worried about neural paralysis and some possible disorders related to their babies, respectively. However, 40 % of the patients in Grup II worried about back pain and headache (p<0.01). As a result, considering the mother candidates’ high information rate from someone who experienced EA before (60 %), interest to the labour analgesia will increase as the mothers are satisfied with the results of EA.

Epidural analjezi konusunda obstetrik hastaların bilgi ve davranışlarının değerlendirilmesi