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Pregnancy-related hospital use
1Geography Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa.
Health Reports
|December 16, 1998
Summary
Maternal hospitalizations before and after childbirth varied across provinces. Data from 1993 showed 15% of women used hospital services pre-birth and 4% post-birth.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Maternal Health
- Canadian Healthcare System
Background:
- Understanding women's hospital utilization during the perinatal period is crucial for healthcare planning.
- Provincial differences in healthcare access and service delivery can impact maternal outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe provincial variations in hospital use among women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.
- To analyze hospital admission patterns in the six months preceding and four months following childbirth.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Person-Oriented Information Data Base from Statistics Canada, encompassing hospital admission data.
- Identified a cohort of 57,627 women who gave birth in October-November 1993.
- Linked childbirth records with hospital admissions occurring six months before and four months after delivery, using ICD-9 and CCP codes.
Main Results:
- Approximately 15% of women experienced at least one hospital admission in the six months prior to childbirth.
- A smaller proportion, around 4%, required re-admission to the hospital within four months after giving birth.
- Significant provincial variations in these utilization rates were observed (data not shown).
Conclusions:
- Hospital use during the perinatal period demonstrates notable provincial disparities.
- These findings highlight the need for further investigation into factors influencing regional differences in maternal healthcare access and utilization.