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Does comparing cesarean delivery rates influence women's choice of obstetric hospital?

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:Despite public reporting of wide variation in hospital cesarean delivery rates, few women access this information when deciding where to deliver. We hypothesized that making cesarean delivery rate data more easily accessible and understandable would increase the likelihood of women selecting a hospital with a low cesarean delivery rate. STUDY DESIGN:We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 18,293 users of the Ovia Health mobile apps in 2016-2017. All enrollees were given an explanation of cesarean delivery rate data, and those randomized to the intervention group were also given an interactive tool that presented those data for the 10 closest hospitals with obstetric services. Our outcome measures were enrollees' self-reported delivery hospital and views on cesarean delivery rates. METHODS:Intent-to-treat analysis using 2-sided Pearson's ?2 tests. RESULTS:There was no significant difference across the experimental groups in the proportion of women who selected hospitals with low cesarean delivery rates (7.0% control vs 6.8% intervention; P = .54). Women in the intervention group were more likely to believe that hospitals in their community had differing cesarean delivery rates (66.9% vs 55.9%; P <.001) and to report that they looked at cesarean delivery rates when choosing their hospital (44.5% vs 33.9%; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS:Providing women with an interactive tool to compare cesarean delivery rates across hospitals in their community improved women's familiarity with variation in cesarean delivery rates but did not increase their likelihood of selecting hospitals with lower rates.

SUBMITTER: Gourevitch RA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6456810 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Does comparing cesarean delivery rates influence women's choice of obstetric hospital?

Gourevitch Rebecca A RA Mehrotra Ateev A Galvin Grace G Plough Avery C AC Shah Neel T NT

The American journal of managed care 20190201 2

<h4>Objectives</h4>Despite public reporting of wide variation in hospital cesarean delivery rates, few women access this information when deciding where to deliver. We hypothesized that making cesarean delivery rate data more easily accessible and understandable would increase the likelihood of women selecting a hospital with a low cesarean delivery rate.<h4>Study design</h4>We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 18,293 users of the Ovia Health mobile apps in 2016-2017. All enrollees were ...[more]

PMID: 30763041

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Project description:BackgroundCesarean delivery (CD) rates have reached epidemic levels in many high and middle income countries while increasingly, low income countries are challenged both by high urban CD rates and high unmet need in rural areas. The managing authority of health care institutions often plays a role in these disparities. This paper shows changes between 2008 and 2016 in Ethiopian CD rates, readiness of hospitals to provide CD and quality of clinical care, while highlighting the role of hospital management authority.MethodsThis secondary data analysis draws from two national cross-sectional studies to assess emergency obstetric and newborn care. The sample includes 111 hospitals in 2008 and 316 hospitals in 2016, and 275 women whose CD chart was reviewed in 2008 and 568 in 2016. Descriptive statistics are used to describe our primary outcome measures: population- and institutional-based CD rates; hospital readiness to perform CD; quality of clinical management, including the relative size of Robson classification groups.ResultsThe national population CD rate increased from 2008 to 2016 (< 1 to 2.7%) as did all regional rates. Rates in 2016 ranged from 24% in urban settings to less than 1% in several rural regions. The institutional rate was 54% in private for-profit hospitals in 2016, up from 46% in 2008. Hospital readiness to perform CDs increased in public and private for-profit hospitals. Only half of the women whose charts were reviewed received uterotonics after delivery of the baby, but use of prophylactic antibiotics was high. Partograph use increased from 9 to 42% in public hospitals, but was negligible or declined elsewhere. In 2016, 40% of chart reviews from public hospitals were among low-risk nulliparous women (Robson groups 1&2).ConclusionsBetween 2008 and 2016, government increased the availability of CD services, improved public hospital readiness and some aspects of clinical quality. Strategies tailored to further reduce the high unmet need for CD and what appears to be an increasing number of unnecessary cesareans are discussed. Adherence to best practices and universal coverage of water and electricity will improve the quality of hospital services while the use of the Robson classification system may serve as a useful quality improvement tool.

Project description:ImportanceA high cesarean delivery rate in US hospitals indicates the potential overuse of this procedure; however, underlying causes of the excessive use of cesarean procedures in the US have not been fully understood.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between the probability of cesarean delivery at the patient-level and profit per procedure from cesarean deliveries.Design, setting, and participantsThis observational, cross-sectional study used a nationally representative sample of hospital discharge data from women at low risk for cesarean birth who delivered newborns between 2010 and 2014 in the US. Data were gathered from the Nationwide Readmissions Database from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted between August 2019 and May 2020.ExposuresHospital-level median value of profits from cesarean deliveries, defined as the difference between the charge and the cost for cesarean delivery calculated for each hospital.Main outcomes and measuresOur primary outcome was the individual-level probability of undergoing a cesarean delivery. We examined the association with the hospital-level median value of profits per procedure for cesarean delivery (defined as the difference between the charge and the cost for cesarean delivery) using hierarchical regression models adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics and year-fixed effects.ResultsA total of 13 215 853 deliveries were included in our analyses (mean [SE] age, 27.4 [0] years), of which 2 202 632 (16.7%) were cesarean deliveries. After adjusting for potential confounders, pregnant women were more likely to have a cesarean birth when they delivered at hospitals with higher profits per procedure from cesarean deliveries. Women cared for at hospitals with the highest (adjusted odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.14; P = .005) and second-highest profit quartiles (adjusted odds ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.13; P = .007) had higher probabilities of a cesarean delivery compared with those cared for at hospitals in the lowest profit quartile.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study of US nationally representative hospital discharge data, hospitals with higher profits per cesarean procedure were associated with an increased probability of delivering newborns through cesarean birth. These findings highlight the potential influence financial incentives play in determining a high cesarean delivery rate in the US.

Project description:BACKGROUND:To systematically review the literature on clinical interventions that influence vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rates. METHODS:We searched Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Wiley Cochrane Library, CINAHL via EBSCOhost; and Ovid PsycINFO. Additional studies were identified by searching for clinical trial records, conference proceedings and dissertations. Limits were applied for language (English and French) and year of publication (1985 to present). Two reviewers independently screened comparative studies (randomized or non-randomized controlled trials, and observational designs) according to a priori eligibility criteria: women with prior cesarean sections; any clinical intervention or exposure intended to increase the VBAC rate; any comparator; and, outcomes reporting VBAC, uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence rates. One reviewer extracted data and a second reviewer verified for accuracy. Meta-analysis was conducted using Mantel-Haenszel (random effects model) relative risks (VBAC rate) and risk differences (uterine rupture and dehiscence). Two reviewers independently conducted methodological quality assessments using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). RESULTS:Twenty-nine studies (six trials and 23 cohorts) examined different clinical interventions affecting rates of vaginal deliveries among women with a prior cesarean delivery (CD). Methodological quality was good overall for the trials; however, concerns among the cohort studies regarding selection bias, comparability of groups and outcome measurement resulted in higher risk of bias. Interventions for labor induction, with or without cervical ripening, included pharmacologic (oxytocin, prostaglandins, misoprostol, mifepristone, epidural analgesia), non-pharmacologic (membrane sweep, amniotomy, balloon devices), and combined (pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic). Single studies with small sample sizes and event rates contributed to most comparisons, with no clear differences between groups on rates of VBAC, uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence. CONCLUSIONS:This systematic review evaluated clinical interventions directed at increasing the rate of vaginal delivery among women with a prior CD and found low to very low certainty in the body of evidence for cervical ripening and/or labor induction techniques. There is insufficient high-quality evidence to inform optimal clinical interventions among women attempting a trial of labor after a prior CD.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To examine the rate of surgical site infection according to the choice of antibiotics in women undergoing cesarean delivery. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women undergoing cesarean delivery (labored, unlabored, and scheduled) from 2012 to 2017. Women with chorioamnionitis and those who did not receive any antibiotics were excluded. Our primary outcome was defined a priori as a composite of cellulitis, endometritis, deep wound infection, abdominopelvic abscess, and sepsis. Outcomes were examined according to the choice of antibiotics: cefazolin, a standard alternative (both clindamycin and gentamicin), and inappropriate alternatives (such as clindamycin only). A multivariable logistic regression model was used to calculate the propensity score for each observation, which was the probability of receiving a particular antibiotic regimen. The propensity score-adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Firth's penalized likelihood approach was applied to address issues of rare events. RESULTS:Among 6,584 selected women, 6,163 (93.6%), 274 (4.2%), and 147 (2.2%) received cefazolin, a standard alternative, and inappropriate alternatives, respectively. Use of standard alternative antibiotics compared with cefazolin was not associated with increased odds of the primary outcome (crude OR 1.50 [0.92-2.46]; adjusted OR 1.63 [0.97-2.60]) but was associated with increased odds of cellulitis (crude OR 2.07 [1.16-3.70]; adjusted OR 1.93 [1.03-3.31]). Use of inappropriate alternative antibiotics compared with cefazolin was associated with increased odds of the primary outcome (crude OR 4.37 [2.80-6.83]; adjusted OR 4.13 [2.59-6.36]) as well as some components of the composite outcome such as endometritis before discharge (crude OR 6.85 [3.94-11.90]; adjusted OR 6.68 [3.69-11.44]) and cellulitis (crude OR 3.36 [1.78-6.34]; adjusted OR 3.23 [1.63-5.81]). CONCLUSION:Both standard alternative and inappropriate alternatives were associated with increased odds of surgical site infections compared with cefazolin.

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Does comparing cesarean delivery rates influence women's choice of obstetric hospital?

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Does comparing cesarean delivery rates influence women's choice of obstetric hospital?

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