Perception, Knowledge and Attitude of Developing Country Pregnant Mothers about Anesthesia for Cesarean Section

Abstract

Knowledge about a type of Anesthesia to be used for cesarean section is not well investigated in developing countries. Knowing types and complications of anesthesia for Caesarean section will help mothers to have less stress and decide on their anesthetic choice. This study aimed to assess perception, knowledge and attitude of pregnant mothers towards Anesthesia for Cesarean section. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess knowledge and attitude of pregnant mothers attending antenatal care at Jimma University specialized hospital. Convenience sampling method was used to select participants from May 5 up to June 5, 2014. Chi-square and p-values were also calculated, and P-value < 0.05 was considered as significant association. 147 (69.7%) women in our survey were found totally unaware about various options of anesthesia technique. Fear of seeing things (60.3%) and previous experiences (7.94) were the main reasons for choosing general anesthesia in our population. The women who wanted to see their baby at birth, which accounts 12.6% and wants to be awakened during operation, which accounted to 6.54%, considered regional anesthesia as a safer technique. Most of the studied population is unaware of the existence of different anesthesia technique. The major source information about anesthesia was from experience, and most of the patient has no knowledge about importance of pre-operative evaluation.