title: Provider-associated factors in obstetric interventions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess which factors influence provider-associated differences in obstetric interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of obstetricians and co-workers in a sample consisting of 38 Dutch hospitals was taken, using a questionnaire that contained questions about personal and hospital-policy data, and 19 clinical problems with a choice between intervention and non-intervention. From the clinical problems an Intervention Score was assembled. The influence of the personal and hospital-policy items on this Intervention Score was studied by analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall the Intervention Score was low, with considerable interindividual variation. Four personal/hospital items influenced the Intervention Score: the teacher could affect the score in either direction; the increasing age of the obstetrician and routine electronic fetal monitoring had an increasing effect; employment of midwives had a decreasing effect. Other factors, including litigation, had no effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supplier-induced differences do exist in obstetric interventions and are influenced by personal and hospital-policy factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pel
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Heres
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Treffers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery; D009426:Netherlands; D009774:Obstetrics; D010819:Physician's Role; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires