Acceptability of epidural analgesia for pain relief during labour among Kelantanese women

Three hundred and five primigravid women were interviewed at term to assess the acceptability of epidural during labour, and reasons for the decisions. Data was collected on a prestructured proforma which consisted of background information, socio-economic status, knowledge about epidural analgesia, source of information and reasons for choice. Of the 305 patients only 17.3% were willing to receive epidural analgesia. This group consisted of 56.6% non-Malay women. Those employed in professional or skilled jobs (56.6%) also readily consented for epidural. Nearly half the women willing for epidural had received college (tertiary) education (43.3%) and more than a quarter (26.4%) were over 30 years of age. The majority of those who were unwilling had no prior knowledge about the procedure, and refused either out of fear, ignorance, resistance from husbands, on religious grounds or following poor feedback from friends. In order to advocate epidural analgesia, knowledge has to be targeted to the relatively less educated, unemployed women, mainly through the media or personally in the antenatal clinic by doctors and nurses. Services have to be improved as substandard analgesia may send out wrong messages and actually do more harm than good.