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Increased caesarean sections in early 90s
had negative impact on women's health, health care costs.
TORONTO, Oct. 2 - Casearean Sections in
Ontario can be reduced with the right attitude towards childbirth,
program organization, knowledge and information, networking,
ability to manage change, and adequate funding, revealed a
report released today by the Women's Health Council (WHC).
The Report on Attaining and Maintaining Low Caesarean Section
Rates also found that it is possible for hospitals to maintain
desired low caesarean section rates regardless of size, location,
level of care or population.
"Hospitals with low caesarean section
rates have achieved this goal by embracing the belief that
supportive labour care and the least intervention possible
create the best opportunity for a good birth experience,"
said Dr. Ellen Hodnett, B.S.N., M.Sc.N., Ph.D., Lead Representative
for the WHC on the project. "We found that achieving
low caesarean section rates requires the right attitude, focus,
leadership, teamwork, support and a personal and financial
commitment to best practices and continuous quality improvement,"
she added.
The Ontario Minister of Health and Long
Term Care, concerned about the trend of increasing caesarean
section rates documented in the mid-1990s and its impact on
both women's health and health care costs, charged the WHC
to develop an action plan to decrease current caesarean section
rates by identifying "Best Practices" in Ontario
hospitals.
The WHC established a Caesarean Section
Working Group to examine the practices of four hospitals that
had been able to achieve low caesarean section rates throughout
the period when many other hospitals saw their rates rise.
The hospitals were Woodstock General Hospital, Scarborough
Hospital Grace Division, St. Catharines General Hospital
and St. Joseph's Health Centre in London. The hospitals range
from rural to Level III. The four hospitals held certain practices
and factors in common that made it possible for them to attain
and maintain these rates.
This report shows us that there is great
promise for achieving a healthier rate of c-sections, regardless
of a hospital's size or location," said Elizabeth Witmer,
Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care. "A coordinated,
organized approach to this challenge will ultimately benefit
women, their families and the health care system," she
added.
Through observation and study of the four
representative hospitals, the WHC identified critical success
factors for attaining and maintaining a low caesarean section
rate that are categorized under five headings. They are: attitude,
such as pride in low caesarean section rates, and having a
'culture' of birth as a normal physiological process; program
organization, such as effective multidisciplinary teams and
timely access to skilled professionals; knowledge and information,
such as a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and
programs to ensure continuous quality improvement; connections
such as coordinating labour and delivery services with other
maternal/newborn services for continuity, and developing networks
with peers and organizations to stay up-to-date and avoid
isolation; and managing change, such as monitoring performance
and adjusting strategies to continue to attain and maintain
goals.
A full copy of the Report is available at
www.womenshealthcouncil.com. The Ontario Women's Health Council
was established in 1998 by the Ontario Minister of Health
and Long-Term Care with the objective of improving women's
health at all stages of life. The Council focuses on providing
women with better access to the unique health information
and care that they require. The Council has been charged with
stimulating the advancement of women's health in Ontario by
identifying where change is needed and bringing forward the
solutions for such change to be integrated into the complexities
of today's health care system. The Women's Health Council
is comprised of 15 members who are appointed by the Minister
of Health and Long-Term Care. For more information, visit
the Council's Web site at www.womenshealthcouncil.com.
For more information please contact:
Nolan Reeds, Edelman Public Relations
(416) 979-1120 ext. 316
nolan_reeds@edelman.com
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