Promoting Maternal safety : Anaesthetists' and Midwives' perspectives on oral intake in labour and its impact on general anaesthesia for delivery.

Introduction:

Labouring women face an increased risk of pulmonary aspiration under general anaesthesia for several reasons, necessitating measures to minimize this risk, including  careful regulation of oral intake during labour[1]. In recognition of this, the Royal college of Anaesthetits recommend that maternity units establish a clear policy on oral intake during labour[2]. To address this recommendation, we conducted a review and a survey to analysemidwives’ and anaesthetists’ perspectives on oral intake during labour in our hospital unit to identify areas for standardisation and improvement

Methods:

                          a) Stratification of women into  risk categories for operative

                               delivery

                          b) Appropriate oral intake advice based on the risk category.

                          c) Written oral intake policy during labour.

Results and Discussion:

 To address these concerns, we aim to develop a local policy on oral intake in labour to provide uniform, consistent advice to all labouring women, followed by re-audit to assess compliance, staff understanding and patient satisfaction.