Specialty differences in primary cesarean section rates in a rural hospital.
To evaluate if physician specialty is a factor in determining whether cesarean sections are performed, a retrospective review of all obstetrical records was performed at a rural hospital in northeastern Kentucky. Review of 1522 patients who delivered between January 1, 1987, and June 30, 1989, showed that staff obstetricians had a 10.8% cesarean rate compared with 8.9% for family physicians. Analysis of the diagnoses that led to cesarean delivery showed no difference between the specialties for cesarean sections performed for fetal distress, preeclampsia, or other high-risk problems, but obstetricians had an increased cesarean section rate for cephalopelvic disproportion (10.7% of all deliveries vs 6.3% for family physicians, P less than 0.001). These results suggest that physician specialty may influence cesarean section rates, although other factors could also contribute to these results.
Hueston
W J
WJ
Menifee Medical Center, Frenchburg, Kentucky 40322.
D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000601:surgery; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies