[Maternal satisfaction with the quality of epidural analgesia for pain relief in labor]

[Assessment of maternal satisfaction with epidural analgesia for pain control during labour]

BACKGROUND

To determine the level of satisfaction and the sociodemographic characteristics of patients who receive epidural analgesia during labour.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A SERVQHOS questionnaire administered, with consecutive sampling, to 140 patients who had received an epidural anaesthetic for pain control during labour between January and June 2014, at the Hospital San Pedro.

RESULTS

A total of 140 questionnaires were completed. The mean overall satisfaction (SERVQHOS scale) was 4.4 with standard deviation (SD):±0.9, with the best results being obtained in the subjective ítems: (4.3; SD 0.81) compared to the objective ítems (4; SD: 0.9). The large majority (84.3%) showed satisfaction with the epidural anaesthetic, and 100% would ask for it again. No significant differences were found in epidural satisfaction or pain perception related to socioeconomic variables (age, nationality, employment conditions, education level or marital status). As regards nationality, 119 (85%) were Spanish, and 14.3% (20) of other nationalities, with 1 patient not answering the nationality question. As regards marital status, 79.3% (111) were married, 1.4% (2), single, and 2.9% (4) were widows or separated, and 2.9% (4) did not answer. The mean age was 33.3 years (SD: 4.4). Prior to the administration of the epidural anaesthetic 93.2% of the Spanish citizens group described the pain as severe compared to 95% of the other nationalities group, but this difference had no statistical significance (p=.279).

CONCLUSION

The level of satisfaction reported by the patients with this technique was high, with subjective items (good manners and trust) being appreciated more.

Hispano-Americans in Europe: what do we know about their health status and determinants? A scoping review

Background

Policy makers and health practitioners are in need of guidance to respond to the growing geographic mobility of Hispano-American migrants in Europe. Drawing from contributions from epidemiology, social sciences, demography, psychology, psychiatry and economy, this scoping review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis of studies addressing the health status and determinants of this population. We describe major research gaps and suggest specific avenues of further inquiry.

Methods

We identified systematically papers that addressed the concepts “health” and “Hispano Americans” indexed in five data bases from Jan 1990 to May 2014 with no language restrictions. We screened the 4,464 citations retrieved against exclusion criteria and classified 193 selected references in 12 thematic folders with the aid of the reference management software ENDNOTE X6. After reviewing the full text of all papers we extracted relevant data systematically into a table template to facilitate the synthesising process.

Results

Most studies focused on a particular disease, leaving unexplored the interlinkages between different health conditions and how these relate to legislative, health services, environmental, occupational, and other health determinants. We elucidated some consistent results but there were many heterogeneous findings and several popular beliefs were not fully supported by empirical evidence. Few studies adopted a trans-national perspective and many consisted of cross-sectional descriptions that considered “Hispano-Americans” as a homogeneous category, limiting our analysis. Our results are also constrained by the availability and varying quality of studies reviewed.

Conclusions

Burgeoning research has produced some consistent findings but there are huge gaps in knowledge. To prevent unhelpful generalisations we need a more holistic and nuanced understanding of how mobility, ethnicity, income, gender, legislative status, employment status, working conditions, neighbourhood characteristics and social status intersect with demographic variables and policy contexts to influence the health of the diverse Hispano-American populations present in Europe.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1799-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

[Labor pain worries future fathers more than the mothers]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the concerns of the future father about labor pain and another 9 items which could be important to the well-being of the mother during delivery. To investigate any possible differences in opinion between the future father and mother.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

An anonymous and voluntary questionnaire was offered to the father and the pregnant patient during the last month of pregnancy. They had to answer the questionnaire separately, scoring 10 items in a 0-10 point ordinal scale, according to their concerns and the importance for the good development of the delivery (0= not concerned about/insignificant to 10=concerned about/great importance). The items included were: 1) esthetic aftermath, 2) embarassment, 3) continous information, 4) walking during labor, 5) drinking during labor, 6) companionship, 7) labor pain, 8) keeping composure, 9) kindness, 10) room comfortability. Data on age, education, parity and nationality were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 147 questionnaires were completed, 99 by mothers, and 48 by fathers. Pain was the most important concern for the future fathers scoring a mean (SD) of 8.15 (2), while continuous information 7.71 (2.5), kindness 7.9 (2.1), and companionship 8.21 (2.3) were more important than pain for mothers. A statistically significant difference was found between fathers and mothers regarding labor pain (P=.001), walking during labor (P=.003), and drinking during labor (P=.009).

CONCLUSIONS

The result of our study suggests that increasing the presence of the father during the delivery process, and taking care of the emotional aspects and the quality of the information given could be very important for the perception of satisfaction.

[Assessment of maternal satisfaction with epidural analgesia during labour]

OBJECTIVE

To measure the overall satisfaction of obstetrics patients with epidural analgesia during labour, and in particular, with the technique and other subjective factors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

An anonymous questionnaire was administered over a three-month period to patients who received analgesia to control pain during labour and who had vaginal delivery, in order to obtain information of the satisfaction with technique and their care.

RESULTS

Of the 100 patients who responded to the questionnaire, 92% were satisfied with the technique. The mild satisfaction measured by SERVQHOS score was 3.98 (SD ± 0.64). The score for the subjective aspects was 4.10 (± 0.68), which was better than objective ones. The recommendation rate was 98% for satisfied patients and 85.7% for those who were not satisfied. There were no differences between Spanish and foreign patients in their evaluation of the satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of patients satisfied with the technique was very high, and was the top rated subjective aspect (treatment and public confidence).