Table 3.
Initial Ratings of Maternity Care Quality Measures during Focus Groups: Importance and Variation, n = 41
| Quality Measure | Rated as Extremely Important* | Rated as Very Likely to Vary by Hospital † |
|---|---|---|
| Health care associated bloodstream infections in newborns (the number of staphylococcal and gram negative septicemias or bacteremias in high‐risk newborns) | 35 (85%) | 10 (24%) |
| Appropriate newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge | 34 (83%) | 6 (15%) |
| Use of antenatal steroids for babies at risk of delivering before 34 weeks | 30 (73%) | 9 (22%) |
| Early elective delivery (before 39 weeks) | 27 (66%) | 12 (29%) |
| Appropriate deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis in women undergoing C‐section | 26 (63%) | 7 (17%) |
| Use of prophylactic antibiotics received within 1 hour prior to surgical incision—C‐section | 24 (59%) | 7 (17%) |
| First‐time, low‐risk C‐section (nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex, or NTSV) | 21 (51%) | 15 (37%) |
| Incidence of episiotomy | 18 (44%) | 8 (20%) |
| Exclusive breast milk feeding in the hospital | 18 (44%) | 12 (29%) |
*Response options were as follows: not very important, somewhat important, extremely important, not sure.
†Response options were: not very likely, somewhat likely, very likely, I'm not sure.