Patients’ preference for general or regional anaesthesia for caesarean deliveries at a district hospital, Free State, South Africa

Background. Informing patients about available anaesthesia options allows patients to share in decision-making.  Objectives. To determine the preference for general or regional anaesthesia among patients admitted for elective caesarean delivery at a district hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and whether the patients were informed about their anaesthesia options by their doctor.  Methods. Consecutive sampling was used. Patients ≥18 years old and who had had a caesarean delivery under general or regional anaesthesia participated in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which was completed during formal interviews with patients.  Results. Of the 50 patients interviewed, 30 (60.0%) preferred regional anaesthesia. With regard to the current surgery, 58.0% stated that they were informed of the available anaesthesia options.  Conclusion. The majority of the patients in our study preferred regional anaesthesia. Although only 58.0% reported that they received information, many of those valued the doctor’s opinion in their choice of anaesthesia.