Costs of Planned Home vs. Hospital Birth in British Columbia Attended by Registered Midwives and Physicians.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Home birth is available to women in Canada who meet eligibility requirements for low risk status after assessment by regulated midwives. While UK researchers have reported lower costs associated with planned home birth, there have been no published studies of the costs of home versus hospital birth in Canada.

Methods

Costs for all women planning home birth with a regulated midwife in British Columbia, Canada were compared with those of all women who met eligibility requirements for home birth and were planning to deliver in hospital with a registered midwife, and with a sample of women of similar low risk status planning birth in the hospital with a physician. We calculated costs of physician service billings, midwifery fees, hospital in-patient costs, pharmaceuti

SUBMITTER: Janssen PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4505882 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature