Exploring Women’s Preferences for Labor Epidural Analgesia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore demographic factors related to women’s prenatal preferences for using an epidural during labor. Women recruited from prenatal classes provided data for this descriptive correlational study. Women with the most education, income, and parity indicated greatest preference for epidural analgesia. Thus, these women may be comfortable with the technology and most likely to be willing to pay for epidurals and to select care providers who provide epidural anesthesia. In this sample, prenatal preference for an epidural was not predictive of actual use, although it has been shown to be predictive in previous research.

Trends in the use of epidural analgesia in Australia

“…We had no data on maternal preference for pain relief during labor, which is likely to be an important factor in determining whether a woman receives epidural analgesia. A difficult labor or the amount of labor support available can change labor plans [25], and information about these factors was also unavailable. The absence of data about these and other factors associated with epidural analgesia use, such as body mass index, are the main limitations of the present study.…”

Increasing the labour epidural rate in a state hospital in South Africa: challenges and opportunities

“…[18][19][20] both the lowering of complication rates, and increasing epidural rates. 21 Knowledgeable staff are able to educate patients on the value of labour epidural analgesia and may even assist obstetric consultants in identifying those high-risk women who would benefit most from epidural care. 31…”

The Emergence of High-Tech Birthing

“…Parity, educational level, and financial status may also influence childbirth decisions. Women who had previous births and had the most education and income indicated the greatest preference for epidural analgesia (Stark, 2003).…”