Factors Associated with the Quality of Obstetric Recovery Among Women Undergoing Elective Cesarean Delivery

Introduction: One in two women give birth by cesarean section; therefore, it is necessary to assess the quality of postoperative recovery. This study was designed to investigate the factors associated with the quality of obstetric recovery in women who underwent cesarean section.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between December 28, 2023 and March 15, 2024, among women who had elective cesarean section within 24 h of giving birth in the maternity units of two medical facilities in the Konya province. The personal information form (age, education, number of births, etc.), Obstetric Quality of Recovery score 11 (ObsQoR-11T), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for General Health Assessment were used as data collection tools. The p-value was set as <0.05.
Results: The total mean scores of the women (n=358) in the ObsQoR-11T and General Health Perception VAS were calculated as 66.30±24.79 and 60.89±24.36, respectively. The ObsQoR-11T total and general health VAS scores of women with primary education were higher than those of women with higher education. Women who had two or more births had higher ObsQoR-11T total scores than those who had given birth for the first time. Correlation analysis showed that women’s ObsQoR-11T scores were associated with general health VAS scores.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results of the study showed that women’s education level, problems during pregnancy, and number of pregnancies affected the quality of obstetric recovery. In addition, the quality of obstetric recovery was found to be associated with general health VAS scores.

Keywords: Cesarean section; Obstetrics; Postpartum period; Recovery