Table 4.

Categories, themes and contexts from qualitative interviews

Physicians	Categories	Personal and professional workload balance; Physician experience and perceptions; External influence; Fear and Risk Aversion; Communication as a way of sharing information; Human resource challenges
	Themes	Work-life balance; Personal preferences; External influence; Risk Aversion; Communication skills; Health system
	Contexts	From within; From without; System and skills
Women who underwent Emergency CS	Categories	Local pressure; Health workers attitude; Confidence in indications; Negative information exchange; Interpretation skills of the woman; Do what you can; Emotional drain
	Themes	Yielding to local pressure; Lack of respect; Speaking the same language on indications; Negative language; Technical language; Prayers take over; Decision under pressure/ Quick end
	Contexts	Guilt; Powerlessness; Knowledge; Language; Fatalism
Women who underwent Elective CS	Categories	Faith and resigned to a destiny; USG and its universality for determining indications; Sources of information One-way (limited) communication; Consenting without understanding; An added benefit of combining sterilization; Complications don’t matter; Lack of privacy fuelling fear
	Themes	Faith; USG and its universality; Confidence in safety Physicians know best; Consent, a formality; Collateral benefits; Baby is the future; Privacy over pain
	Contexts	Safety of C-sections; Physicians in control; Value for money; Sacrificial attitude; Fear of pain—not a major concern