Though many Cesarean sections (C-sections) are often performed in high-risk instances, a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports shows that many are performed in low-risk cases.
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For the report, researchers examined over 1,500 hospitals from only 22 states due to the limited amount of information provided in some areas. They calculated that overall, 66 percent of hospitals received the nonprofit's lowest or second-lowest ratings, while 12 percent managed to receive the top two scores.
"We think it's time those hidden numbers are brought to light," saidJohn Santa, M.D., medical director of Consumer Reports Health. "How you deliver your baby should be determined by the safest delivery method, not which hospital you choose."
Findings showed that even within states, C-section rates varied greatly depending on the hospital in which births occurred. For instance, at the California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, C-section rates were the lowest at 15 percent. However, at the Los Angeles Community Hospital, 55 percent of pregnant women who were considered to be low-risk still ended up getting C-sections.
"The variation is what gets you, that really is the thing," said Doris Peter, director of Consumer Reports' Health Ratings Center, according to CNN. "If you compare peer hospitals in urban areas that treat the same kind of patients -- meaning they share similar socioeconomic issues -- to have wildly different rates suggests that there is a problem here."
As some C-sections are necessary, the report only examined cases of low-risk pregnancies.
"Over the next five years, I would hope we will see a slow decline in the rate," lead author of the report, Dr. Aaron Caughey said. "[But it] will be contingent on more people embracing the message and will have to involve people at the grass-roots level doing things in their practice that changes this trend."
More information regarding the article "What hospitals don't want you to know about C-sections," can be found here.