Abstract
Introduction: Today, Cesarean section, as a normal surgical procedure, is accompanied by maternal and fetal complications. The most common reason mentioned for high cesarean section rates is the repeat Cesarean section. Vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) is an alternative to repeat Cesarean section. The first step to investigate VBAC status and plan to improve it in Isfahan city is to know and prioritize the attitude of key individuals.
Method: This cross-sectional study is a multi-method study (April, 2023 to August, 2023) conducted in Isfahan with participation of 75 Health Managers in the field of Treatment and Health Deputy, gynecologists and midwives, and 75 pregnant women. The eligible women were selected using a quota sampling method, and managers, gynecologists and midwives were selected using a convenience sampling method. Research instruments included the Attitude towards the Mode of Delivery Questionnaire and Factors Affecting the Choice of Type of Delivery Questionnaire developed by Valiani et al. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software version 26.00 and using descriptive statistics and t-test Statistical tests.
Findings: As the gynecologists achieved lower scores in the third quartile than the key individuals (pregnant women, midwives, and health managers), the interventions to change their attitudes are of higher priority. There was a statistically significant relationship between the mothers' attitude mean score and their number of child delivery (p<0.05). A statistically significant relationship was also observed between the gynecologists' attitudes and their work experience (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Although teamwork in performing VBAC is essential, mothers are the final decision makers in performing VBAC. In planning for VBAC, measures thus should be taken to change mothers' attitudes, remove barriers, and obtain their consent to perform VBAC guidelines.