Supervisors info:
Αθανασία Τσαρουχά, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Χρυσούλα Σταϊκού, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Αικατερίνη Μελεμενή, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The pain that a mother feels during a natural birth is one of the strongest pains that a human being can experience. From ancient times to today in the 21st century, this pain remains an extremely unpleasant part of a pleasant, and desirable event: the birth of a child. In the middle of the 20th century, the development of medical science, social change and the improvement of women’s social status prompted the medical community to deal with this age-old pain, and the ability for a woman to demand pain relief during childbirth.
This strong pain ceased to be considered normal or acceptable, or to be connected to religion or ethnic beliefs of people. At the same time, medical research has proven that the maternal relief of pain during uterine contractions and the reduction of sympathetic nervous system stimulation ( result of analgesia) reduces labour stress and restores normal values to all parameters within the cardiovascular, endocrinological and respiratory systems of the parturient. The improvement of childbirth conditions came with obstetric analgesia, the improvement of administered drugs, materials and techniques,whilst obstetric anaestesia and analgesia is now a mandatory part of an anaesthesiologist s medical education.
Obstetric analgesia improved the conditions of childbirth, both for mothers and foetuses/new-borns, helped to deal with difficult obstetric situations and is documented to be necessary for the optimal development of a natural delivery. Obstetric analgesia is safe for the mother and the foetus and promotes a calm and humane birth while the acceptance it has from the parturients who urgently seek a pain-free birth is not negligible.
The purpose of this study is to study and record:
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The possibility of providing obstetric analgesia in all public maternity hospitals nationwide ,and if not, what are the reasons for women not benefitting from this modern medical knowledge
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What are the medical, social , ethical and financial implications for a pregnant woman if she does have the option of analgesia in her labour
[7]
-What are suggestions and guidelines from international literature provide for pharmaceutical and non pharmaceutical methods of pain relief during childbirth ,and can they be applied to public maternity hospitals
-What is the undergraduate, postgraduate and further education of delivery room health workers for labour pain relief
- What is the legal framework for consent of the administration of obstetric analgesia that exists in Greece
-The adequacy and sources of information on the internet for topics related to obstetric analgesia
Keywords:
Natural birth, Pain labor, Obstetric analgesia, Hellenic maternity public hospitals, informed consent
