Patient preference the leading indication for elective Caesarean section in public patients--results of a 2-year prospective audit in a teaching hospital.

In response to a Western Australian Ministerial enquiry into the levels of intervention in childbirth, a 2-year prospective audit was undertaken of the indication and timing of all public Caesarean section deliveries at King Edward Memorial hospital. During the study period, a total of 9,138 deliveries were performed at the hospital, of which 1,624 were by Caesarean section, an overall rate of 17.8%. Of these, 633 (39%) were elective and 911 (61%) were nonelective. The most common primary indication for elective Caesarean section was maternal choice, largely due to a refusal of the patient to consent to a trial of scar following a single previous Caesarean section or a refusal to attempt a trial of vaginal breech delivery. The most common indications for nonelective Caesarean section birth were an intrapartum diagnosis of suspected fetal distress or failure to progress in labour. Strategies to reduce the incidence of Caesarean section birth need to focus on the pathways involved with maternal decision-making in the birth process, and on improving the diagnosis of intrapartum fetal compromise.