Commentaries
9 September 2025
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025)
Labor analgesia is more than a technique: a call for holistic and respectful care
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Neuraxial labor analgesia has improved pain control and childbirth outcomes. Yet, pain is a multidimensional experience requiring more than technical skill. This article calls for a holistic, woman-centered model in which the anesthesiologist plays a key role. The purpose is to promote a cultural shift: making labor analgesia not only effective, but also respectful and meaningful.
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Citations
1. World Health Organization. WHO recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 [cited 2024 Feb 23]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/260178
2. Seijmonsbergen-Schermers AE, Van Den Akker T, Rydahl E, et al. Variations in use of childbirth interventions in 13 high-income countries: A multinational cross-sectional study. Stock SJ, editor. PLoS Med 2020;17:e1003103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003103
3. Coviello A, Iacovazzo C, Frigo MG, et al. Technical aspects of neuraxial analgesia during labor and maternity care: an updated overview. J Anesth Analg Crit Care 2025;5:6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s44158-025-00224-3
4. Halliday L, Nelson SM, Kearns RJ. Epidural analgesia in labor: A narrative review. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2022;159:356-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14175
5. Callahan EC, Lee W, Aleshi P, George RB. Modern labor epidural analgesia: implications for labor outcomes and maternal-fetal health. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023;228:S1260-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2022.06.017
6. Labor S, Maguire S. The Pain of Labour. Rev Pain 2008;2:15-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/204946370800200205
7. ACOG Committee Opinion #295: pain relief during labor. Obstet Gynecol 2004;104:213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00006250-200407000-00061
8. Zha Y, Gong X, Yang C, et al. Epidural analgesia during labor and its optimal initiation time-points. Medicine (Baltimore) 2021;100:e24923. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000024923
9. Practice Bulletin No. 177: Obstetric Analgesia and Anesthesia. Obstet Gynecol 2017;129:e73-89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000002018
10. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 766: Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth. Obstet Gynecol 2019;133:e164-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003074
How to Cite
Labor analgesia is more than a technique: a call for holistic and respectful care. (2025). Advances in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/aapm.55
Copyright (c) 2025 Dario Cirillo, Antonio Coviello, Giorgio Ranieri, Domenico Pietro Santonastaso, Maria Grazia Frigo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
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