“Safe anaesthesia” for the South African rural obstetric patient in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Background: The South African National Committee for Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths has shown that anaesthesia-related maternal deaths continue to increase at district hospitals. This has been attributed to substandard anaesthesia care and resuscitation. This study investigated the anaesthesia practices, work circumstances, support structure and access to training by doctors involved in obstetric anaesthesia in KwaZulu-Natal district and regional hospitals.