title: Geographic variation in the appropriate use of cesarean delivery.
abstract: There is enormous geographic variation in the use of cesarean delivery: For births over 2,500 grams, adjusted cesarean rates vary fourfold between low- and high-use areas. Even for births under 2,500 grams, high-use counties have rates that are double those of low-use ones. Higher cesarean rates are only partially explained by patient characteristics but are greatly influenced by nonmedical factors such as provider density, the capacity of the local health care system, and malpractice pressure. Areas with higher usage rates perform the intervention in medically less appropriate populations-that is, relatively healthier births-and do not see improvements in maternal or neonatal mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Policy, School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baicker
authors.forename: Kasey S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Buckles
authors.forename: Amitabh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chandra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003675:Defensive Medicine; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008318:Malpractice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D009774:Obstetrics; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce