Perceptions and Practice of Labor Pain-Relief Methods among Health Professionals Conducting Delivery in Minia Maternity Units in Egypt

Table 2

Types of pain-relief methods.

Variable	Number	Percentage
Methods used in the first stage
Nonpharmacological methods	105	44.9
Pharmacological methods	43	18.4
None	86	36.8
Methods used in the second stage
Nonpharmacological methods	30	12.8
Pharmacological methods	159	67.9
None	45	19.2
Types of nonpharmacological methods for pain-relief practice (total 135/234)
Heat or ice compression	13	5.6
Massage and therapeutic touch	24	10.3
Relaxing environment, audio analgesia (music, Quran, conversation, etc.)	15	6.4
Deep breathing/patterned breathing	18	7.7
Maternal positioning, waking, moving around the room	20	8.5
Giving assurance, explaining the labor process	45	19.2
Types of pharmacological methods for pain relief used in labor (total 202/234)
Medications	164	70.1
Epidural anesthesia	29	12.4
Others/nitrous oxide or inhaled gases	9	3.8
Continuous education that focused on methods for pain relief
No, I had not	63	80.8
Yes, I had	15	19.2