[A composite indicator for maternity hospital classification].

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality assessment
• Maternal and infant health outcomes
• Health services research

Background:

• Maternity hospital classification is crucial for assessing healthcare quality.
• Identifying factors associated with infant readmissions is essential for improving perinatal care.
• Existing classification systems may not fully capture the nuances of maternity care quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel composite indicator for classifying maternity hospitals.
• To evaluate the association between the composite indicator and infant readmission rates within 30 days post-childbirth.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive analysis of 56 maternity units in Sicily (2014 data, 44,436 newborns).
• Development and application of a composite indicator for maternity hospital classification.
• Statistical analysis of the indicator's correlation with infant readmission rates.

Main Results:

• Hospitals with lower composite indicator scores exhibited significantly higher infant readmission rates (Odds Ratio: 1.3).
• These higher readmission rates suggest potential deficiencies in the quality of care provided by lower-tier maternity facilities.
• The composite indicator effectively differentiated hospitals based on quality dimensions.

Conclusions:

• The proposed composite indicator provides a robust method for classifying maternity hospitals.
• It aids in identifying critical quality-of-care issues, particularly those linked to infant readmissions.
• This tool can inform quality improvement initiatives in perinatal healthcare services.