[What doe the obstetrician expect of the anesthetist?]

The obstetrician's expectations of anaesthetists are high and include a high level of competence at a specialist level, experience of the delivery room, a calm but fast and ordered way of working, a tactful and enquiring approach and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary environment. In the area of organisation the obstetrician and the anaesthetist should, through optimal cooperation, have a good understanding of the procedural plan to ensure the safety of mother and child. This includes working in close proximity, regular joint consultations and early preinterventional contact with the pregnant patient in order to inform them of the anaesthetic options and their inherent risks. Despite the undoubted successes resulting from the cooperation between obstetricians and anaesthetists, as shown by the reduction in mother and child mortality rates, the current structured and medical circumstances are not optimal and should motivate both disciplines towards improved joint care.