A successful program to reduce cesarean section rates: friendly persuasion.
In 1986, the Division of Maternal/Fetal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, Chicago, implemented a cesarean section (C-section) program that used clinical guidelines to educate physicians and a computerized data collection system to provide reliable data for physician peer review; C-section rates fell from 17.5% to 11.5% in 1987, where they have remained. This program has been so successful that it is the model for a comparable program for the hospital's gynecology services.
Myers
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Division of Maternal/Fetal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60608.
Gleicher
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D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002641:Chicago; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy