Patterns of obstetric procedures use in maternity care.

The use of seven obstetric procedures was studied in two institutions that use different approaches to maternity care. The study population included 796 women delivering at Booth Maternity Center and 804 women with similar sociodemographic characteristics delivering at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital during 1977 and 1978. Several differences were found between the two institutions. The majority of selected procedures were used more often at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital than at Booth Maternity Center. The greatest differences were found for women at low intrapartum risk, while differences were smallest for women at high prenatal and intrapartum risk. The two institutions differed in their use of procedures for women at various levels of prenatal and intrapartum risk. The findings suggested that most of the differences did not reflect different levels of risk in the populations served, but were due to other unidentified factors.