Background:
Maternal satisfaction with labor analgesia is a complex and multifactorial concept that may vary according to educational level, employment status, labor length, previous delivery experiences, expectations, doubts and myths related to labor analgesia.
Patient satisfaction is, thus, a highly valued concept among medical care personnel. As such, assessing patients’ satisfaction allows providers to recognize what can be refined.
We aimed to assess the sociodemographic characteristics of our mother-to-be population and the impact of labor epidural analgesia (LEA) on maternal satisfaction and childbirth expectation in our Tertiary Care Center.

Materials and Methods:
An anonymous questionnaire was applied between August and December 2017 to 150 random women who gave birth in our center to obtain information about satisfaction with LEA and anesthesiologists’ medical care.

Results and Discussion:
A total of 113 questionnaires were returned. The mean age was 31,06 years±6,57 (range 17-47). Portuguese nationals accounted for 83% of the surveyed patients. 53.1% of women had a college degree, while 26.5% had the 9th grade or less. Only 68.1% were employed. 51.3% were primiparas and 48.7% were multiparas. 
Of all patients, only 15% had a previous anesthesiology appointment for childbirth purposes, however, all of them felt clarified about labor analgesia and the role of the anesthesiologist during childbirth.
The overall satisfaction related to the birth experience was good or excellent for 86.7% of women. 10.6% of all had doubts about LEA and all of them felt reasonably or completely clarified by their anesthesiologist. LEA was performed in 92.9% of all patients. Among the women in whom LEA was not performed, 62.5% were because of pregnant’ choice, and among these, all considered they had no doubts about the technique.
Considering the satisfaction with LEA, 36.2% accounted excellent and 50.5% good. Regarding pregnant’ LEA satisfaction versus expectations, 38.1% considered higher than expected, 49.5% considered same as expected and only 12.4% considered lower than expected. 91.3% of women felt accompanied by their anesthesiologist during labor and 99% found this monitoring to be important. 97.1% of women would advise LEA to family members or friends.

Conclusions: 
The overall satisfaction level with birth experience and LEA is very high in our center. 
Most women choose to accept LEA. 
Sociodemographic factors don’t seem to affect these observations.
In our center, a very small percentage of women are referenced to an anesthesiology appointment before labor, a fact that can be improved, so that women can clarify their doubts and myths surrounding LEA.

References: 
1. Revista de Calidad Asistencial 2017; 32: 166-171
2. Rev Calidad Asistencial 2011;26:251-5
3. Revista Española de Anestesiología y Reanimación 2008; 55: 160-4

07 / Impact of labor epidural analgesia on maternal satisfaction and childbirth expectation: Experience at a Tertiary Care Center - Preliminary results of a prospective observational study