he authors have implemented obstetric epidural analgesia as a standard method in a district hospital. Between January 1998 and June 2000 they performed epidural analgesia in 231 deliveries. This represents 11.0% of 2091 total deliveries. They created standard guidelines for anesthesiologic and obstetric teams. These guidelines included steps in informing and preparing parturients for labor and delivery. By completing a questionnaire, parturients commented on their satisfaction with the epidural analgesia. The authors emphasize that the most important goal in implementing their method is maintaining good cooperation between the anesthesiologic and obstetric teams, and transferring certain responsibilities to the nursing staff.

        Key words: painless labor and delivery - complex of standard guidelines