OPINIONS OF GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ABOUT PROVISION OF INTRAPARTUM CARE

Objective-To examine the beliefs of general practitioners concerning intrapartum care. Design-Postal questionnaire survey. Subjects-Ah general practitioners with patients in Nottinghamshire Family Health Services Authority in September 1993. Main outcome measures-General practitioners' current involvement in maternity care, and beliefs on intrapartum care. Results-Of 694 general practitioners sent questionnaires, 550 (79.2%) replied. 529 of these were on the obstetric list; 437 had not attended a delivery in the past 12 months; 36 had attended two or more; 358 general practitioners did not wish to provide more intrapartum care; 349 did not feel competent to do so. Reasons for not wanting to provide intrapartum care included current workload (453), disruption to personal life (407), and the fear of litigation (377). General practitioners who already booked women for home delivery were more Likely to wish to do more deliveries (62/42 v 61/316, chi(2) = 85.3; P < 0.0001) and to have more positive attitudes towards increasing women's choice in maternity care (90/22 v 195/151, chi(2) = 227; P < 0.0001). Conclusions-The involvement of general practitioners in intrapartum care in Nottinghamshire is low, and most general practitioners are unwilling to increase their role. However, general practitioners who already book for home delivery are keen to do more.