Training and experience of doctors administering obstetric anaesthesia in the Free State Level 1 and 2 Hospitals

ABSTRACTBackgroundAll the published Saving Mothers Reports generated by the National Committee of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in South Africa have associated anaesthesia-related maternal deaths with the lack of skills of the doctors administering the anaesthesia. The Reports have shown the Free State to be one of the provinces in South Africa with the highest rate of obstetric anaesthesia deaths. Therefore, the current study was performed to determine whether a deficiency exists in the training and experience of doctors administering obstetric anaesthesia. The identifying of such a deficiency would call for the implementation of remedial measures.MethodsThe study was performed in 2005 using questionnaires designed by the first two authors of this paper. All Level 1 and 2 hospitals in the Free State performing Caesarean sections (CSs) were visited. The doctors administering obstetric anaesthesia were each asked to respond to a questionnaire. The questionnaires enquired about previous tr...