Pregnant women’s choice of birthing hospital: A qualitative study on individuals’ preferences

Dehbarez, Nasrin Tayyari; Lou, Stina; Uldbjerg, Niels; Møller, Anne; Gyrd‐Hansen, Dorte; Søgaard, Rikke

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2017.11.006

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…When selecting a birth place, pregnant people consider the distance of hospital facilities, care and service options (e.g., a birthing pool or home-like atmosphere), previous positive birth experiences at home or a particular hospital, and perceived safety (Borrelli, Walsh, and Spiby 2017; Coxon et al 2017; Miller and Shriver 2012). Although some people prefer to use the closest hospital for their birth, others will travel to a more distant hospital if they believe it has more qualified staff and specialized care (Tayyari Dehbarez et al 2018). Here, too, social myths create a context where home birth is portrayed as dangerous (Coxon, Sandall, and Fulop 2014; Morris and McInerney 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selecting an Abortion Clinic: The Role of Social Myths and Risk Perception in Seeking Abortion Care

et al. 2021

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Recent shifts in the abortion provision landscape have generated increased concern about how people find abortion care as regulations make abortion less accessible and clinics close. Few studies examine the reasons that people select particular facilities in such constrained contexts. Drawing from interviews with 41 Ohio residents, we find that people’s clinic selections are influenced by the risks they associate with abortion care. Participants’ strategies for selecting an abortion clinic included: drawing on previous experience with clinics, consulting others online, discerning reputation through name recognition and clinic type, and considering location, especially perceptions about place (privacy, legality, safety). We argue that social myths inform the risks people anticipate when seeking health care facilities, shaping care seeking in ways that are both abortion-specific and more general. These findings can also inform research in other health care contexts where patients increasingly find their options constrained by rising costs, consolidation, and facility closure.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selecting an Abortion Clinic: The Role of Social Myths and Risk Perception in Seeking Abortion Care

et al. 2021

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“…A survey showed that the primary reasons for choosing private hospitals were the presence of a specialist, availability of good equipment and technology, and trust in treatment, whereas proximity, receiving enough information, and being well-treated were the reasons why participants chose family health centers in Samsun Province in Turkey [ 20 ]. A semistructured interview study involving 13 pregnant women in Denmark noted that the experience of pregnant women themselves or their peers and travel distance played a role in the women’s choice of delivery hospital [ 21 ], while Schuldt et al [ 22 ] believed that factors such as the distance to hospital, level of information about the treatment, number of respective treatments performed in the hospital per year, and complication rate had a significant impact on hospital choice. However, these studies have rarely involved internet use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the Internet on Medical Decisions of Chinese Adults: Longitudinal Data Analysis

Ma¹,

Sun²,

Cui³

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

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Background The internet has caused the explosive growth of medical information and has greatly improved the availability of medical knowledge. This makes the internet one of the main ways for residents to obtain medical information and knowledge before seeking medical treatment. However, little has been researched on how the internet affects medical decisions. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between internet behaviors and medical decisions among Chinese adults aged 18 or over, including whether to go to the hospital and which level of medical institution to choose. Methods With the adult residents (≥18 years old) in 12 regions including urban and rural areas taken as the research objects, the differences in medical choices of adults with various characteristics were analyzed, and generalized linear mixed models were adopted to analyze the longitudinal data of the China Health Nutrition Survey from 2006 to 2015. Results Adult groups with different ages, genders, education levels, regions, places of residence, severities of illness and injury, years of suffering from hypertension, and history of chronic diseases showed diverse medical decisions, and the differences were statistically significant (P<.05). After controlling for these potential confounding factors and taking self-care as the reference, the probability of Chinese adults who participated in online browsing activities selecting hospital care was 0.82 (95% CI 0.69-0.98; P=.03) times that of residents who did not participate in online browsing activities. In terms of medical institution choices, adults who participated in online browsing activities were 1.86 (95% CI 1.35-2.58; P<.001) times more likely to opt for municipal medical treatment than primary care. However, the effect of online browsing on the selection probability of county-level hospitals was not significant compared with primary hospitals (P=.59). Robust analysis verified that accessing the internet had a similar effect on Chinese adults’ medical decisions. Conclusions Chinese adults who use the internet are a little less likely to go to the hospital than self-care. The internet has broken down the barriers to obtain knowledge of common diseases and thus has a slight substitution effect of self-care on hospital care. Internet use may increase the probability of adults going to municipal hospitals. The rising tendency of visiting high-level medical institutions may be consequently exacerbated due to knowledge monopoly of severe and complicated diseases that is difficult to eliminate, and the increase in inconsistent and incomplete medical information online will blur the residents’ cognitive boundary of common diseases and severe diseases. Exploring the substantive impact of the internet on medical decision making is of great significance for further rational planning and utilization of the internet, in order to guide patients to appropriate medical institution.

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“…Language barriers can affect the quality of health services, with research demonstrating an association with delays in surgery [ 16 ]. While ability to communicate may explain some of the greater risk of stillbirth in French hospitals, it is also possible that standards of care differ between hospitals [ 17 ]. Further research would be needed to determine if English hospitals tend to induce labor earlier than French hospitals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Distance may influence the choice of birth hospital [ 17 , 20 ]. Data suggest that women generally consider shorter distances safer as they can obtain hospital care more quickly [ 17 ]. Costs of transportation can also influence the choice of hospital [ 5 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Costs of transportation can also influence the choice of hospital [ 5 ]. Nevertheless, qualitative studies indicate that women may be willing to travel longer distances to access higher quality perinatal care [ 17 , 20 ]. In a Danish study, women with high-risk pregnancies tended to prefer university hospitals over regional hospitals because of the higher level of specialization, even if it meant having to travel farther [ 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Access to perinatal healthcare in minority Anglophones: Hospital type and birth outcomes

2023

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Objectives We assessed the relationship between hospital characteristics and risk of adverse birth outcomes among minority Anglophones in Montreal, Canada. Methods The study included 124,670 births among Anglophones in metropolitan Montreal between 1998 and 2019. We estimated risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between hospital characteristics, including residential proximity to hospitals and language in which medical services are provided, and risks of preterm birth and stillbirth. Models were adjusted for maternal socioeconomic status and other characteristics. Results In this study, 8% of Anglophones had a preterm birth and 0.4% a stillbirth. Anglophone women who delivered at a farther French hospital had a greater risk of stillbirth (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28–2.18) than preterm birth (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.14–1.30), compared with delivery at hospitals closer to home. In contrast, delivery at a farther English hospital was associated with similar risks of stillbirth (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08–1.71) and preterm birth (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.29–1.44). The greater risk of stillbirth with delivery at a farther French hospital, versus greater risk of preterm birth at a farther English hospital, remained present in analyses stratified by maternal age, education, material deprivation, and region of origin. Conclusion Minority Anglophones in Montreal who travel to a farther French hospital for delivery have a greater risk of stillbirth than Anglophones who travel to a farther English hospital. This novel observation suggests the need to determine if access to perinatal healthcare in a woman’s language may help reduce the risk of stillbirth.

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Pregnant women’s choice of birthing hospital: A qualitative study on individuals’ preferences

Cited by 16 publications

References 29 publications

Selecting an Abortion Clinic: The Role of Social Myths and Risk Perception in Seeking Abortion Care

Selecting an Abortion Clinic: The Role of Social Myths and Risk Perception in Seeking Abortion Care

Impact of the Internet on Medical Decisions of Chinese Adults: Longitudinal Data Analysis

Access to perinatal healthcare in minority Anglophones: Hospital type and birth outcomes

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