Table 1 Characteristics of 10,146 parturients categorized based on patient satisfaction scores
|  | Not satisfied (n = 3230) | Satisfied (n = 3646) | Very satisfied (n = 3270) | Total (n = 10,146) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (years), mean (SD) | 29.8 (5.11) | 29.9 (4.98) | 30.1 (5.0) | 29.9 (5.0) |
Ethnicity, n(%) | ||||
 Chinese | 1573 (48.7) | 1767 (48.5) | 1481 (45.3) | 4821 (47.5) |
 Indian | 387 (12.0) | 438 (12.0) | 450 (13.8) | 1275 (12.6) |
 Malay | 760 (23.5) | 861 (23.6) | 756 (23.1) | 2377 (23.4) |
 Others | 510 (15.8) | 580 (15.9) | 583 (17.8) | 1673 (16.5) |
Body mass index (kg.m−2), mean (SD) | 27.4 (5.5) | 27.6 (8.4) | 27.6 (4.6) | 27.5 (6.5) |
Parity, n(%) | ||||
 Nulliparous | 1896 (58.7) | 2187 (60.0) | 2077 (63.5) | 6160 (60.7) |
 Multiparous | 1335 (41.3) | 1457 (40.0) | 1189 (36.4) | 3981 (39.2) |
Technique of neuraxial analgesia, n(%) | ||||
 Combined spinal-epidural | 3053 (94.5) | 3446 (94.5) | 3110 (95.1) | 9609 (94.7) |
 Epidural | 177 (5.5) | 200 (5.5) | 160 (4.9) | 537 (5.3) |
Pre-epidural cervix dilation (cm), mean (SD) | 3.5 (1.2) | 3.5 (1.12) | 3.4 (1.16) | 3.5 (1.2) |
Occurrence of epidural catheter resiting, n(%) | 40 (1.2) | 18 (0.5) | 14 (0.3) | 72 (0.7) |
Total time taken to perform procedure (minutes), mean (SD) | 7.3 (5.11) | 6.9 (4.8) | 6.7 (4.4) | 7.0 (4.8) |
Mode of delivery, n(%) | ||||
 Normal vaginal delivery | 2371 (73.5) | 2843 (78.2) | 2172 (66.7) | 07,386 (73.0) |
 Instrument-assisted vaginal delivery | 0370 (11.5) | 0391 (10.8) | 0268 (8.2) | 01,029 (10.2) |
 Lower-segment caesarean section | 0483 (15.0) | 0403 (11.1) | 0816 (25.1) | 01,702 (16.8) |
Pre-epidural pain score, median (IQR [Min - Max]) | 7.0 (5 – 9 [0 – 10]) | 8.0 (5 – 9 [0 – 10]) | 7.5 (5 – 9 [0 – 10]) | 7.0 (5 – 9 [0 – 10]) |
Post-epidural pain score, median (IQR [Min - Max]) | 0 (0 – 0 [0 – 9]) | 0 (0 – 0 [0 – 9]) | 0 (0 – 0 [0 – 8]) | 0 (0 – 0 [0 – 9]) |
Reported post-epidural complications, n(%) | ||||
 Headache | 26 (0.8) | 27 (0.7) | 4 (0.1) | 57 (0.6) |
 Backache | 328 (10.2) | 283 (7.8) | 123 (3.8) | 734 (7.2) |
 Nausea/Vomiting | 318 (9.8) | 359 (9.8) | 331 (10.1) | 1008 (9.9) |
 Shivering | 853 (26.4) | 900 (24.7) | 804 (24.6) | 2557 (25.2) |
 Itching | 1175 (36.4) | 1269 (34.8) | 1155 (35.3) | 3599 (35.5) |
 Urinary retention | 97 (3.0) | 79 (2.2) | 52 (1.6) | 228 (2.2) |
 Neural deficit | 14 (0.4) | 11 (0.3) | 4 (0.1) | 29 (0.3) |
Occurrence of breakthrough pain, n(%) | 462 (14.3) | 517 (14.2) | 451 (13.8) | 1430 (14.1) |