A comparison of labor and delivery management activities in two settings
Abstract
Similarities and differences in management activities and patient health outcomes between a traditional physician staffed labor and delivery setting and a certified nurse-midwife staffed Birth Center within the same hospital were described. The 950 study subjects, low income, minority women, were classified as low obstetrical risk by a POPRAS score of 25 points or less at time of admission for labor and delivery. The study subjects were similar in demographic, antepartum and intrapartum characteristics; the labor course was problem free for the majority in both settings. There were no remarkable differences in health outcomes between the groups. Management activities varied between settings; these variations were policy related rather than health related. The POPRAS rating system was an accurate predictor for 93% of BC subjects and 85% of LDU subjects. Charge for service was approximately $600 less for BC women; length of stay did not contribute to the difference in charge. Overall, BC respondents to the attitude survey were more satisfied with their labor and delivery experience than L\&DU women.
Subject Area
Public health
Recommended Citation
Cunningham, Joni Crisp, "A comparison of labor and delivery management activities in two settings" (1987). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI8809919.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI8809919