Do women know whether their hospital is Catholic? Results from a national survey

Wascher, Jocelyn M.; Hebert, Luciana E.; Freedman, Lori; Stulberg, Debra

doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2018.05.017

Cited by 29 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Whether patients recognize that a hospital is Catholic has been explored in prior research: A recent analysis of U.S. Catholic hospital websites found that one in five did not identify as Catholic, and fewer than one‐third explained how Catholic affiliation affects patient care . In a previous analysis of our study's cohort of participants, 37% did not realize the Catholic affiliation of the hospital that they primarily attended . Although attending a hospital that had a religious‐sounding name (e.g., one with “Saint”) was, in that analysis, associated with a woman correctly identifying her primary obstetric‐gynecologic hospital as Catholic, low‐income women were less likely than others to appreciate this distinction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Women's Expectation of Receiving Reproductive Health Care at Catholic and Non‐Catholic Hospitals

Stulberg¹,

Guiahi

Hebert

et al. 2019

Perspect Sexual Reproductive

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

CONTEXT : Catholic hospitals operate under directives that prohibit the provision of contraceptives, sterilization and abortion. Little research has examined women ' s awareness of these institutions' policies, which aff ects their ability to make informed decisions about where to seek care. METHODS :In 2016, some 1,430 women aged 18-45 were recruited from a U.S. probability-based research panel for a survey about hospital care. Respondents were randomized to a hypothetical Catholic or nonreligious hospital group and asked about their expectations for receiving nine specifi c reproductive services. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between participants' characteristics and their correctly identifying a hospital as Catholic, as well as between characteristics and expecting that birth control pills, tubal ligation or abortion for serious fetal indications would be provided there. RESULTS :Women randomized to the Catholic hospital group were less likely than those randomized to the nonreligious group to expect provision of birth control pills (77% vs. 86%), tubal ligation (70% vs. 78%) or abortion for serious fetal indications (42% vs. 54%). Income level was associated with correctly identifying the Catholic hospital: Compared with individuals with the lowest income, those in three of the four other income groups were more likely to identify the hospital as Catholic (odds ratios, 1.9-2.2). In comparison with women who misidentifi ed the Catholic hospital, those who identifi ed it as Catholic had lower expectations that the hospital would provide birth control pills (0.3), tubal ligation (0.5) or abortion (0.2). CONCLUSIONS : Many women do not realize the breadth of restrictions on reproductive health care at Catholic hospitals. Without institutional transparency, patient autonomy and health outcomes may be compromised.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Women's Expectation of Receiving Reproductive Health Care at Catholic and Non‐Catholic Hospitals

Stulberg¹,

Guiahi

Hebert

et al. 2019

Perspect Sexual Reproductive

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…13 If prospective patients were both aware of these restrictions and had unimpeded access to health systems offering the care restricted by Catholic hospital systems, the ultimate impact on health would be limited. However, a recent survey 14 exploring the issue of awareness found that 37% of women whose primary hospital system was Catholic were unaware of that fact. This study explores factors that may impede health system access.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Market Share of US Catholic Hospitals and Associated Geographic Network Access to Reproductive Health Services

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IMPORTANCE Access to reproductive health services is a public health goal. It is unknown how geographic and health plan network availability of Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals may be associated with access to reproductive health services in the United States. OBJECTIVE To characterize the market share of Catholic hospitals in the United States, both overall and within Marketplace health insurance plans' hospital networks. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study of US counties used data on hospitals' Catholic affiliation and discharges, hospital networks in Marketplace health insurance plans, and US Census population data to construct a national, county-level data set. The Catholic hospital market share overall in each county and in Marketplace plans' hospital networks in each county were calculated. The study examined whether the Catholic hospital market share was different within Marketplace networks compared with the counties they served. Data analysis was conducted in May and June 2018. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The overall Catholic hospital market share was calculated on the basis of the share of discharges in Catholic hospitals in a county compared with all hospital discharges. Overall market share was categorized as minimal (Յ2%), low (>2% to Յ20%), high (>20% to Յ70%), or dominant (>70%). The Catholic hospital market share in Marketplace networks was calculated as the share of Catholic hospital discharges in each Marketplace network. RESULTS The sample included 4450 hospitals in 3101 counties. Overall, 26.1% of US counties had minimal Catholic hospital market share, 38.6% had low Catholic hospital market share, and 35.3% had high or dominant Catholic hospital market share; 38.7% of US reproductive-aged women resided in counties with high or dominant Catholic hospital market share. Among counties with Catholic hospital market share greater than 2%, the distribution of the median Marketplace network's Catholic hospital market share (median [interquartile range], 4.6% [0%-24.3%]) was lower than overall Catholic hospital market share (median [interquartile range], 18.5% [8.1%-36.5%]). The median Marketplace hospital network had a lower Catholic hospital market share than the county overall in 68.0% of US counties with Catholic hospital market share greater than 2%. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this national study, 35.3% of counties had high or dominant Catholic hospital market share serving an estimated 38.7% of US women of reproductive age. Marketplace health insurance plans' hospital networks included a lower share of Catholic hospitals than the counties they serve.

show abstract

“…One surprising finding was that 31% of women attending prenatal care at the non‐TOLAC site were unaware of the TOLAC ban, which is a similar percentage to the frequency of women at Catholic hospitals who were unaware of the religious restrictions affecting their care . This finding has important clinical and policy implications; even if providers attempt to disclose the TOLAC pregnancy, it may be difficult for women to understand how their delivery choices will be affected by hospital policy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital bans on trial of labor after cesarean and antepartum transfer of care

Rosenstein

Norrell

Altshuler

et al. 2019

Birth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Hospital policies restricting access to trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) are prevalent. Many women with a previous cesarean birth are affected by these bans, but there are limited data on the effect of these bans and whether women would consider changing delivery hospitals in the setting of a real or hypothetical TOLAC ban. Methods: This was a survey of TOLAC-eligible women receiving prenatal care at four hospitals where TOLAC is available, and 1 non-TOLAC site. Participants were asked about their likelihood of switching hospitals to pursue TOLAC if it were unavailable. Women at the non-TOLAC site had their medical records reviewed to ascertain final location and approach to delivery. Results: A total of 297 women were interviewed, 48 from the non-TOLAC site. 162 (54%) participants indicated they would transfer care if TOLAC were unavailable. Among women at the non-TOLAC site, 57% who indicated an intention to switch hospitals did so. In a multivariable logistic regression model, variables associated with transferring care included race/ethnicity other than Latina (aOR 25.20 [95% CI 2.23-284.26]), being unaware of the TOLAC ban (19.81 [1.99-196.64]), and perceiving that a close friend/relative thought they should undergo TOLAC (17.31 [1.70-176.06]). Conclusions: More than half of women with prior cesarean would consider transferring care if TOLAC became unavailable, and more than 1 of 3 of women at a non-TOLAC site transferred care. More research is needed on the impact of TOLAC bans and how to facilitate transfer for those who desire TOLAC. K E Y W O R D S hospital policy, trial of labor after cesarean, vaginal birth after cesarean | 575 ROSENSTEIN ET al.

show abstract

Do women know whether their hospital is Catholic? Results from a national survey

Cited by 29 publications

References 11 publications

Women's Expectation of Receiving Reproductive Health Care at Catholic and Non‐Catholic Hospitals

Women's Expectation of Receiving Reproductive Health Care at Catholic and Non‐Catholic Hospitals

Market Share of US Catholic Hospitals and Associated Geographic Network Access to Reproductive Health Services

Hospital bans on trial of labor after cesarean and antepartum transfer of care

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About