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The Dutch obstetric intervention study — variations in practice patterns
Author(s) -
Heres M.H.B.,
Pel M.,
ElferinkStinkens P.M.,
Van Hemel O.J.S.,
Treffers P.E.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/0020-7292(95)02424-b
Subject(s) - medicine , episiotomy , sedation , obstetrics , intervention (counseling) , emergency medicine , pregnancy , pediatrics , surgery , nursing , genetics , biology
Objective: To compare obstetric intervention rates between Dutch hospitals. Methods: A total of 28 934 hospital births under secondary care (specialist care for medium‐/high‐risk pregnancies) in 1990 were analyzed in a stratified, random sample of Dutch hospitals based on the records of the Dutch Netherlands perinatal database. Comparisons were made of the intervention rates between hospitals. Results: The intervention rates of the various hospitals differed widely. The most striking difference was in the cesarean section (CS) rate for non‐vertex first twins, with a range of 0–100% and a mean rate of 47.6%. On average a CS for a term breech was performed in 30.8% of cases and sedation or analgesics were administered in 16.2% of cases. The mean rate of episiotomy for a term breech was 71.5%, the lowest rate being 18.8%. Conclusion: Our results show relatively low intervention rates with considerable interhospital variation.