Perceived Barriers of Spinal Anesthesia among Pregnant Women in Maternity Teaching Hospitals

Background: In obstetrical and gynecological procedures, spinal anesthesia is frequently utilized since it can produce an ideal analgesic effect and speedy recovery. For cesarean sections, spinal anesthesia is commonly used to reduce the risk of anesthesia exposure for the newborn and complications from general anesthesia for the mother. The study’s goal to determine the perceived barriers of spinal anesthesia among pregnant women.

Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted in the two teaching hospitals, Al-Salam and Al-Khansa, located in Mosul city, from April 23, 2024, to December 31, 2024. The study consists of 150 pregnant women with cesarean sections undergoing spinal anesthesia. The questionnaire consists of three parts: part one (socio-demographic characteristics), part two (obstetric and medical history), and part three (maternal perception regarding the barriers to spinal anesthesia after operation). The data were analyzed by using SPSS ver. (22.0).

 Results: The majority of the study sample were 28.7% (43) of the sample were between the ages of 25 and 29 years old. 26.0% (39) of the sample was illiterate at the educational level. 91.3% (137) of the sample were housewives by occupation. 51.3% (77) of the sample was addressed in a rural area. As for the barriers to spinal anesthesia, we had generally good responses since most of the studied items had been assessed at high and moderate levels. The highest value was 147 (98.0%) at fear, which can be the main reason for not receiving spinal anesthesia, and the lowest value was 1 (0.7%) at spinal anesthesia, which could cause chronic back pain after cesarean section.

Conclusion: This study determined that mother perceptions of barriers to spinal anesthesia after operation in pregnant women with a history of cesarean section were predominantly favorable, as most evaluated items were rated at high and moderate levels.