Single room maternity care: perinatal outcomes, economic costs,and physician preferences

(1) To compare perinatal outcomes and costs of care among women giving birth in a single room maternity care (SRMC) setting versus a traditional delivery suite or postpartum setting; and (2) to report on physicians' responses to the SRMC environment.

Among women who were determined to be at "low risk" for intrapartum complications through the use of a triage tool, the outcomes of those receiving care in the new SRMC unit were compared to the outcomes of those cared for in the traditional delivery suite and postpartum modules. Total costs of the entire maternity service before and after implementation of SRMC were also compared. Physicians were surveyed about the adequacy of the physical environment.

Rates of intrapartum interventions and adverse outcomes were similar in both groups, with the exception of less frequent electronic fetal monitoring in the SRMC setting. Caesarean section rates were lower than expected in both groups. Length of stay was significantly shorter in the SRMC group (55.1 +/- 26.5 days vs. 61.0 +/- 24.3 days; <.001). Staff positions in the hospital were reduced from 206 to 193.7. Direct costs for women of similar acuity (resource intensity weightings) were reduced by 24% (1809 dollars vs. 2377 dollars). The proportion of physicians preferring SRMC to the traditional setting increased from 45.8% at 6 months to 78.7% at 12 months after implementation of the SRMC model (P =.003).

SRMC is a model of obstetric care for women at low risk for intrapartum complications, offering cost savings without affecting perinatal outcomes, and is well accepted by physicians.