Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May;28(5):2795-2801.
doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.02.010. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Acceptance of trial of labor after cesarean (Tolac) among obstetricians in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Khulood Hussein  1 , Abdulrahim Gari  2   3 , Ruqayyah Kamal  4 , Hussam Alzharani  5 , Nasir Alsubai  6 , Tayy Aljuhani  7 , Husam Katib  8
Affiliations

Acceptance of trial of labor after cesarean (Tolac) among obstetricians in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Khulood Hussein et al. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2021 May.

Abstract

Background: Babies to women eligible for trial of labor after a cesarean (TOLAC) are sometimes delivered by cesarean section (CS). To obtain clinicians' attitudes and beliefs about TOLAC, this study was designed to investigate the views of clinicians when advising TOLAC-eligible pregnant women about TOLAC, and to explore their reasons in favor of or against TOLAC.

Methods: Interviews were carried out individually (face-to-face) with clinicians using a specially designed questionnaire to collect data from obstetricians in the Western Region of Saudi. Regression analysis was used as appropriate.

Results: Among the 183 obstetricians included in the current study, approximately 79.2% were against offering TOLAC. However, most of the physicians (89.1%) were in favor of offering TOLAC to patients who had had a successful vaginal birth after CS. significant associations were found between physicians' opposition to TOLAC and medical and most non-medical factors.

Conclusion: Clinicians should recognize that the critical role they play in the delivery decision-making process and in boosting women's confidence in TOLAC may be key to increasing the rate of TOLAC.

Keywords: Acceptance; Cesarean section; Obstetricians; Saudi physicians; Trial of labor after cesarean section; Vaginal birth.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Villar J., Valladares E., Wojdyla D., Zavaleta N., Carroli G., Velazco A. WHO 2005 global survey on maternal and perinatal health research group. Caesarean delivery rates and pregnancy outcomes: the 2005 WHO global survey on maternal and perinatal health in Latin America. Lancet. 2006;367(9525):1819–1829. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68704-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chaves S.C., Cecatti J.G., Carroli G., Lumbiganon P., Hogue C.J., Mori R. Obstetric transition in the World Health Organization Multi-country, Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health: Exploring pathways for maternal mortality reduction. Revista Panamericana Salud Pública. 2015;37(4–5):203–210. PMID: 26208186. - PubMed
    1. Dodd J.M., Crowther C.A., Hiller J.E., Haslam R.R., Robinson J.S. Birth after caesarean study-planned vaginal birth or planned elective repeat caesarean for women at term with a single previous caesarean birth: protocol for a patient preference study and randomized trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2007;7(17) doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001192. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ba'aqeel H.S. Cesarean delivery rates in Saudi Arabia: a ten-year review. Ann Saudi Med. 2009;29(3):179–183. doi: 10.4103/0256-4947.51773. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al Rowaily M.A., Alsalem F.A., Abolfotouh M.A. Cesarean section in a high-parity community in Saudi Arabia: clinical indications and obstetric outcomes. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2014;14:92. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-92. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources