RCHC Community Project Abstracts

Cesarean Section Rates at Harney District Hospital
Date of project: 8/3/2009

Cesarean section rates as a proportion of live births continue to increase at a rather quick pace in the United States and in many other areas of the world. The CDC reported a 31.8 percent cesarean rate in the United States, a six-fold increase from cesarean section rates of the 1960s and 1970s, and the eleventh consecutive year with an increased rate. Cesarean sections are the most common surgical procedure performed in the United States, 1.4 million in 2007, yet the procedure enjoys very little scrutiny and analysis in comparison to other surgical procedures and medical interventions. Rates of cesarean section vary greatly between geographic areas and within cities at different facilities. Rural areas in the United States tend to have higher cesarean section rates compared with urban areas. This project compiled data from birth logs at Harney District Hospital between 2005 and 2009. The rate of cesarean sections as a proportion of live births increased steadily over this five year period. A further analysis of three years of live births at Harney District Hospital in Burns looked deeper into the indication for cesarean section at each delivery. The physicians who practice obstetrics at HDH had an interest in their cesarean section rate and how it compared with other facilities in Oregon but had not spent the time compiling the data

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