Background: Spinal anesthesia is the most commonly adopted technique for cesarean section. However, side effects such as backache and vomiting occurring during or after spinal anesthesia may lead patients to prefer general anesthesia. This study aimed to evaluate preference of obstetric patients for spinal anesthesia again for future cesarean section and the associated factors. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study, 169 elective cesarean section mothers who underwent spinal anesthesia in Orotta national referral maternity and teaching hospital were surveyed over a period of two months, February through March, 2019. Patient demographics and previous anesthesia experience as well as intraoperative and postoperative data were collected using a pretested questionnaire. The mothers were also asked about their preference of spinal anesthesia for future cesarean section and causes of their refusal. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to identify factors associated with refusal of spinal anesthesia using SPSS (Version 22.0). Results: The refusal rate to have spinal anesthesia again was 11.2%, and its risk factors were having a previous experience of general anesthesia (p value 0.02) and dissatisfaction with postoperative care (p value 0.03). Conclusion: Refusal of spinal anesthesia for future cesarean section was 11.2%. Spinal anesthesia side effects as well as dissatisfaction may negatively affect patient preference of spinal anesthesia.
