Epidural analgesia for labour and delivery: informed consent issues

Objective Many anaesthetists believe that informed consent for epidural analgesia during labour is inadequate. Patients are perceived to be poorly informed and unable to cope with the information given during labour for informed consent. We reviewed these two hypotheses: A) to define complications for which patients want clear information: B) to quantify the influence of pain, anxiety, opioid premedication, and the importance of level of education, on a patient's level of satisfaction with regard to the consent process: and C) to assess how satisfactory epidural pain relief correlates with satisfaction with the consent process. Methods Sixty patients were surveyed during the first two months after vaginal delivery by two interviewers. Questions related to demographics, severity of labour pain, level of…