Regional perinatal mortality and regional hospitalization at delivery in The Netherlands

In The Netherlands 34-35% of all deliveries still take place at home, but with considerable regional differences. A study was made of the relation between the perinatal mortality rate and the percentage of hospital deliveries in the 11 provinces of The Netherlands, in municipalities divided into groups according to the number of inhabitants, and in the 17 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. No relation could be demonstrated between the regional percentage of hospital deliveries and the regional perinatal mortality rate. The proportion of hospital delivery appears not to be a major factor determining the regional perinatal mortality rate in the current system of obstetric care in The Netherlands.