Obstetricians’ attitudes towards instrumental vaginal delivery in Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Background Instrumental delivery is a dying art, that needs proper training and practice to revive it and help decrease cesarean delivery rates. This study aimed to declare the obstetricians’ attitude towards instrumental delivery and to elaborate the its possible causes. Methods A descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted via an online survey between January 1and April 1, 2025. It was distributed to obstetricians in Egypt. The questionnaire included two main sectors: sector (one) inquired about the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants; sector (two) included the physicians’ attitudes and practices towards instrumental delivery in Egypt. Results Seventy-three (52.5%) of the obstetricians never tried ID before. Eighty-nine (64%) of the obstetricians declined encouraging ID if in a situation that indicated the use of ID. Possible reasons for abandoning ID included reduction of training (116/139, 83.5%), lack of senior supervision (99/139, 71.2%), fear of litigation (125/139, 89.9%), lack of consultant supervision in acute situations (108/139, 77.7%), and lack of modern equipment (108/139, 77.7%). Conclusion Instrumental delivery is not widely practiced in Egypt. A great proportion of the obstetricians declined to perform/try instrumental delivery in urgent situations.