Cesarean delivery rates among family physicians versus obstetricians: a population-based cohort study using instrumental variable methods.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous research suggests that family physicians have rates of cesarean delivery that are lower than or equivalent to those for obstetricians, but adjustments for risk differences in these analyses may have been inadequate. We used an econometric method to adjust for observed and unobserved factors affecting the risk of cesarean delivery among women attended by family physicians versus obstetricians.

Methods

This retrospective population-based cohort study included all Canadian (except Quebec) hospital deliveries by family physicians and obstetricians between Apr. 1, 2006, and Mar. 31, 2009. We excluded women with multiple gestations, and newborns with a birth weight less than 500 g or gestational age less than 20 weeks. We estimated the relative risk of cesarean

SUBMITTER: Dawe RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5741417 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature