What do obstetric patients consider as adequate disclosure during consent for anaesthesia for caesarean section?

Background: The need to respect the values and preferences of the patient (autonomy) is one of the pillars of informed consent. The physician must disclose information and treatment options that will enable the patient to consent to medical or surgical intervention. This study investigated the adequacy and understanding of the information (disclosure) given to parturients for elective Caesarean section during the preoperative assessment. Methods: The attending anaesthetist administered a structured questionnaire to all women scheduled for elective Caesarean section on arrival at the Labour Ward Theatre. The interviewer-administered questionnaire assessed the socio-demographic characteristics, information on the anaesthetic options for Caesarean section, probable complications, risk-benefit analysis, and their understanding of the information provided by the trainee anaesthetist at the preoperative review. All women scheduled for emergency or urgent Caesarean section were excluded from the interview by the attending anaesthetist. Results: A high proportion of the women were multiparous and had tertiary education. The benefit of being awake and hear the first cry from the newborn during the caesarean section was most attractive to the parturients. A good percentage of the women had the various techniques of anaesthesia explained to their understanding and had the opportunity for questioning with satisfactory responses. The commonly discussed complications were hypotension, shivering, headache, and possible failed regional technique. Most of the women had sufficient information to meet the requirements for adequate disclosure in the informed consent process for anaesthesia. Conclusion: Most of the women had sufficient information to meet the requirements for adequate disclosure in the process of informed consent for anaesthesia.