How good are obstetric and gynaecology trainees at reviewing and debriefing their patients following operative deliveries?

High levels of obstetric involvement are associated with psychological morbidity in patients postnatally. Operative deliveries contribute to up to 40% of deliveries. Given this, we decided to assess how well patients were being reviewed and debriefed following operative deliveries within our unit. A total of 53 notes following operative deliveries were analysed. To assess the quality of debriefing, the notes were reviewed for evidence of documentation on discussion for reason, procedure and complications of mode of delivery, advised plan for next delivery and contraception advice. Feedback questionnaires were given to patients on discharge to complete, regarding their understanding on the events surrounding their delivery. To assess how well doctors reviewed their own deliveries, we searched the notes for documented evidence of primary operator review. Our results identify significant deficiencies in doctors reviewing and debriefing patients following operative deliveries.