Cesarean Birth Regret and Dissatisfaction: A Qualitative Approach

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Patient Experience Research

Background:

• Unplanned cesarean births are frequently associated with patient dissatisfaction and regret.
• Quantitative studies have explored this, but the underlying causes remain unclear due to survey limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify potentially modifiable factors contributing to cesarean section regret in women undergoing unplanned surgical birth during labor.
• To explore patient perspectives on factors influencing their satisfaction with unplanned cesarean births.

Main Methods:

• Conducted open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 14 postpartum women who experienced unplanned cesarean births during labor.
• Utilized consensus coding of transcribed interviews to identify recurring themes in patient narratives.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: poor communication, fear of the operating room, distrust of the medical team, and loss of control.
• A novel finding was the significant role of lack of or incomplete trust in care providers as a source of distress.

Conclusions:

• The identified factors (communication, fear, distrust, control) are potentially amenable to intervention.
• Modifications in physician behavior and communication strategies may reduce patient dissatisfaction following unplanned cesarean births.