[Does giving patients a choice of cervical ripening method improve women satisfaction?]

To compare the overall satisfaction between women who were able to choose their cervical ripening method and those who did not have this choice. The secondary objective was to compare their willingness to recommend the method used to a friend or relative.

Prospective, single-centre study conducted in the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department of the Saint-Étienne University Hospital between September 2023 and June 2024. In all, 187 women with an indication for induction of labour were included. Among them, 100 women were able to choose their cervical ripening method and completed a questionnaire before the start of labour induction and a second questionnaire postpartum. For 87 women, the method was imposed, as part of the department's protocol roll-out phase, and a single postpartum questionnaire was given to them.

Of the 100 women who had the choice, 65 chose oral misoprostol, 9 chose vaginal dinoprostone, and 26 chose the cervical balloon. Of those who chose this mechanical method, 34.6% wished to return home to continue induction. Being able to choose the cervical ripening method was not associated with a significant improvement in overall satisfaction, even after adjustment for confounding factors. No significant difference in satisfaction was observed between the different methods used. However, women who had a choice were significantly more likely to recommend the method used (adjusted OR=2.21; 95% CI [1.04-4.82]).

Offering women a choice of cervical ripening method is not associated with a significant improvement in overall satisfaction. This choice nevertheless appears to strengthen their willingness to recommend the method to a friend or relative.