Wishes and expectations of pregnant women and their partners concerning delivery

Aims: The study investigated factors related to the expectations and wishes concerning delivery of expectant parents. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire on the relevant aspects of deliv ery was developed, pre-tested, and administered to 545 expectant mothers (n = 336) and fathers (n = 209) attending open house informational events at 3 hospitals around Giessen, Germany. Results: Response rate was 96.3%. Three major areas of interest were identi fied and converted into scales: "management and obstetrical equipment" (ME; alpha = 0.81), " medical standards" (MS; alpha = 0.82), and "hospital conv eniences" (HC; alpha = 0.78). Preferences of participants were influenced b y age, gender and parity, as well as by different levels of state- and trai t-anxiety. Expectant fathers focused more on BC of the hospital whereas ME, as well as MS, were more important to pregnant women, especially older wom en from rural areas with high state and/or trait anxiety (p less than or eq ual to 0.05). However, MS were also found to be important for younger, null iparous women with at risk pregnancy. Parents of high-risk pregnancies did not emphasize their wishes for ME (p less than or equal to 0.05). Conclusion: Fashionable obstetrical equipment of delivery rooms, high medic al standards, the reputation of the hospital, and certain conveniences are important issues for expectant parents. However, their importance varies wi th the above mentioned factors.