Background and Aim:
Childbirth is one of the most desired, anticipated, and joyful experiences in
women’s life. On the other hand, childbirth may be one of the most painful
events experienced in a mother’s lifetime. Pain relief is nearly regarded as
the right of patients in modern-day health care. Women undergo excruciating
pain during normal vaginal delivery (NVD). However, the acceptance of labor
analgesia (LA) has remained very poor. Labor pain relief remains a distant
reality in developing countries. Many factors may affect the acceptance of LA.
Aim of the Study:
The present study aimed to assess the correlation of previous exposure to such
pain (parity) and school education with LA acceptance.
Methods: The
present comparative study was conducted with a total of 400 consented
participants. Consented women were enrolled in the study. A questionnaire was
used to collect sociodemographic variables, acceptance/nonacceptance of LA, and
the reasons for not opting for LA in upcoming delivery were noted. Participants
were divided into primiparous, multiparous, and nulliparous (control). They
were also grouped as per school education and compared taking illiterates as
controls. Online open-source software was used which gave a sample of 70 in
each group. Data are presented in absolute numbers. Fisher’s exact test is used
for comparison; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
Effective analgesia during labor pain may contribute to better outcomes in high‑risk
expectant mothers. In this study, 17.5% multiparous and 38% primiparous
participants were compared with 44.5% nulliparous women. Only 2.75% of
participants were illiterate. Among all the participants, 69.50% were rural
inhabitants and 81.50% believed in Hinduism. The finding shows that 87.14%
multiparous, 84.21% primiparous, and 88.76% nulliparous women declined LA (P
> 0.05). The desire to experience NVD without LA as a reason for
nonacceptance was significantly less among primiparous and multiparous as
compared to nulliparous (P < 0.0001), but not among literate and illiterate
participants (P > 0.295 in all).
Conclusion:
Previous labor pain significantly reduces the desire to experience NVD without
LA, but still more than 80% parturient of any parity do not want LA due to one
or more reasons. School education has no impact on LA acceptance. Ignorance,
myths, and beliefs are also major contributors to the nonacceptance of LA.
Author(s)details:-
Avinash Prakash
Departments of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of
Medical Science, Nagpur, India.
Anita Yadav
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, All India Institute of Medical
Science, Nagpur, India.
Please See the book
here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/acmms/v5/2488
