A comparison of attitudes and practices of episiotomy among obstetrical practitioners in New Mexico.

The routine use of episiotomy is a subject of considerable controversy. To delineate attitudes and practices, we surveyed various groups of obstetrical practitioners in New Mexico. Routine use was favored most by obstetricians, less by family practitioners, less yet by nurse midwives and least by lay midwives. Many of the reasons given both for and against routine use were the same, underscoring the lack of scientific data and prospective studies of episiotomy and its effects.