Partner Presence during Caesarean Section under General Anaesthesia: A National OAA Survey.

Introduction:

- Partner presence during labour and operative delivery under regional anaesthesia is a well-established practice in the UK and a growing practice even in emergencies.

- Evidence that this practice benefits patients and partners is linked to improved psychological support, shorter labour time, a reduced need for caesarean sections, early skin-to-skin contact between partner and baby and improved APGAR scores.

- Current literature suggest most parents prefer partner presence during operative delivery regardless of acuity or mode of anaesthesia, and that partners present during cesarean sections under general anaesthesia (GA-CS) evaluated their experience positively.

Objective:

- To explore obstetric anaesthetists' views and experiences on partner presence during GA-CS.

Conclusion:

- Obstetric anaesthetists had a wide range of concerns over partner presence during GA-CS. A large cohort with limited to no previous experience expressed marked scepticism regarding its potential benefits, an evaluation that was not echoed by an experienced, but small subgroup of obstetric anaesthetists.

VADER sentiment analysis may indicate a discrepancy of quantitative and qualitative data, highlighting a potential overestimate of negative sentiment over partner presence in GA-CS.

- A greater sample could produce more robust results. Research should focus on challenges and sentiments across labour wards that routinely allow partner presence in GA-CS.