Duygu KARAKÖSE ÇALIŞKAN, Halide AYDIN SAKAR, Nihan YAMAN MAMMADOV
Archives of Basic and Clinical Research - 2026;8(2):183-188
Objective: As cesarean section (CS) rates continue to rise, the choice of anesthesia has become increasingly important. Two main anesthetic approaches are commonly used: general anesthesia (GA) and regional anesthesia (RA), the latter comprising spinal anesthesia (SA), epidural anesthesia (EA), and CS-EA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of educational status, prior anesthesia experience, and procedure-related concerns on parturients' choice of anesthesia for elective CS. Methods: Between January 2019 and December 2019, 275 pregnant women classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists II and scheduled for elective cesarean delivery at a tertiary care hospital were included in this study. Parturients were questioned in the preoperative room about age, educational level, previous birth experiences, knowledge of and concerns about SA. Subsequently, they were transferred to the operating room, where the choice of anesthesia modality was determined according to each parturient's preference. Results: The study population primarily consisted of women with a low educational level; however, no significant association was found between the type of anesthesia used for the current CS delivery and educational level (P = 0.26). Parturients' knowledge about SA was limited, and the predominant source of information was friends and relatives. Only 19% of those who have knowledge mentioned "doctor" as the source. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the current anesthesia modality and prior anesthesia experience (P = 0.015). Fear of experiencing pain during the operation was the principal concern expressed by 37.45% of parturients. Conclusion: Parturients preferred SA to GA across all education levels. Prior anesthesia experience led parturients to choose SA. Parturients who had experienced either general or SA prefer SA for the current operation.
