Cesarean rate in selected hospital network of private sector: A retrospective study

In Spain over the last two decades, cesarean section (CS) rates have increased from 15 to 25% in the Public Health Sector and from 28 to 38% in the private sector. There are multiples causes for this rise, which are often unclear. The aim of our study is to collect and analyze all the CS rates data from a hospital network of the 42 Quirónsalud Hospitals (private sector) and to assess its distribution regarding the different types of hospitals and patient characteristics.

An observational retrospective study between 2017 and 2018 was performed. Hospitals are classified into three groups: large hospitals (11), medium hospitals (17) and small hospitals (14). The cesarean section rate was measured by patient categorization into three groups: total deliveries, low risk cesarean sections and low risk cesarean sections without previous cesarean delivery.

We analyzed 62,685 deliveries: 42,987 were vaginal deliveries (68.6%) and 19,698 CS (31.4%). The mean age for the total number of deliveries was 34.18 years old, whilst the mean age for the low-risk group was 34.12. Of the 19,698 CS, 18.36% (3618) were in high-risk population and 81.63% (16,080) in low risk population. 69.54% (11,183) of the low-risk CS were in patients without a previous CS.

The overall rate of CS in the Quirónsalud group is slightly higher than the one from the Public Healthcare. The older maternal age as well as the hospital resources involved in the delivery attendance can explain this difference.