The Dutch obstetric intervention study — variations in practice patterns

OBJECTIVE: To compare obstetric intervention rates between Dutch hospitals. METHODS: A total of 28,934 hospital births under secondary care (specialist care for medium-/high-risk pregnancies) in 1990 were analyzed in a stratified, random sample of Dutch hospitals based on the records of the Dutch Netherlands perinatal database. Comparisons were made of the intervention rates between hospitals. RESULTS: The intervention rates of the various hospitals differed widely. The most striking difference was in the cesarean section (CS) rate for non-vertex first twins, with a range of 0-100% and a mean rate of 47.6%. On average a CS for a term breech was performed in 30.8% of cases and sedation or analgesics were administered in 16.2% of cases. The mean rate of episiotomy for a term breech was 71.5%, the lowest rate being 18.8%. CONCLUSION: Our results show relatively low intervention rates with considerable interhospital variation.