The Effect of Education on Knowledge and Preferred Method of Delivery in Nulliparous Women

Cesarean section in Iran is 3 to 4 times higher than global standard. 75% of such deliveries are done without prior medical indication and merely based on mother’s option. Considering the effect of instruction on raising the adaptation to natural delivery and decreasing unnecessary surgical childbirth, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of instruction on awareness and self-efficacy of primiparous women and their choice of delivery type. The present research was an interventional study having two groups: treatment and control. A total of 70 primiparous women were participated in this research that had opted for caesarian section. It was conducted in Medical Healthcare Centers of Bandar Abbas in 2013. The sampling was a combination of cluster and simple randomized type. The data gathering instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS V.16. Independent sample t-test along with paired t-test was run to analyze the data. After the intervention, a significant difference was found between awareness score (p<0.001) and self-efficacy score (p=0.001) in the treatment group. No significant divergence was witnessed between the two groups in terms of performance (p=0.001). After the instructional intervention, in the case group, 16 persons (45.4%) of mothers opted for natural vaginal delivery as a preferred delivery type. After the follow-up phone calls, 11 persons (37.2%) were found to have had natural delivery. The devisal and enactment of systematic and ongoing instructional programs by medical staff can have a dramatic effect on encouraging mothers to have natural delivery and less surgical childbirth.