Opinions of general practioners in Nottinghamshire about provision of intrapartum care

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Abstract
Objective: To examine the beliefs of general practioners concerning intrapartum care. Design: Postal questionnaire survey. Subjects: All general practioners with patients in Nottinghamshire Family Health Services Authority in September 1993. Main outcome measures: General practioners' current involvement in maternity care, and beliefs on intrapartum care. Results: Of 694 general practioners sent questionnaires, 550 (79.2%) replied. 529 of these were on20the obstetric list; 437 had not attended a delivery in the past 12 months; 36 had attended two or more; 358 general practioners 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 practioners who already booked women for home delivery were more likely to20wish to do more deliveries (62/42 v 61/316, X2=85.3; P2=227; PConclusions: The involvement of general practioners20in intrapartum care in Nottinghamshire is20low, and most general practioners are unwilling to increase their role. However, general practioners who already book for home delivery are keen to do more.