The Impact of a Shared Decision-Making Intervention on Intraoperative Patient Experience During Elective Cesarean Delivery Under Spinal Anesthesia

Caesarean delivery (CD) is a common surgical procedure performed when vaginal delivery poses risks to the mother or fetus, with global rates projected to reach 28.5% by 2030. Neuraxial anesthesia is the preferred technique due to its safety advantages over general anesthesia, which is associated with increased risks such as impaired oxygenation, aspiration, and higher incidence of postpartum depression. Although spinal anesthesia is widely used, it may be complicated by intraoperative pain during cesarean delivery (PDCD), attributed to visceral traction despite adequate sensory block . PDCD is associated with adverse psychological outcomes including anxiety, postpartum depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder , and is the leading cause of obstetric anesthesia-related medicolegal claims in the United Kingdom . Reported incidence rates vary widely, from 2.1% to 36%, reflecting under-recognition and misinterpretation by clinicians who may mistake pain for anxiety . Shared decision-making (SDM) is a patient-centered approach that incorporates patient preferences into perioperative planning and has been shown to improve outcomes in various surgical settings , yet its impact on intraoperative experience during cesarean delivery remains unexplored.