Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the hospitals (n = 22), patients (n = 2138) and newborns (n = 2313)
| Intervention | Control | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitals (n = 11) | Patients (n = 1060) | Hospitals (n = 11) | Patients (n = 1078) | |
| Hospital characteristics | ||||
| Type of hospital | ||||
| Regional hospitals | 5 | 500 (47.16) | 4 | 400 (37.10) |
| District hospitals in main cities | 2 | 200 (18.86) | 3 | 300 (27.82) |
| Other district hospitals | 4 | 360 (33.96) | 4 | 378 (35.06) |
| Healthcare professionals per hospital, mean (SD) | ||||
| Obstetrician-gynaecologist | 1.7 (2.8) | 1.6 (2.8) | ||
| General practitioner | 0.7 (0.6) | 0.4 (0.5) | ||
| Midwife | 19.3 (6.4) | 20.3 (7.6) | ||
| Patient characteristics | ||||
| Maternal age > 35 years | 107 (10.09) | 108 (10.01) | ||
| Nulliparous | 397 (37.45) | 403 (37.38) | ||
| Previous caesarean section | 249 (23.49) | 214 (19.85) | ||
| No prenatal visit | 412 (38.86) | 383 (35.52) | ||
| Any pathology during current pregnancy | 241 (22.73) | 245 (22.72) | ||
| Multiple pregnancy | 68 (6.41) | 61 (5.65) | ||
| Presentation of infant | ||||
| Cephalic | 930 (87.73) | 963 (89.33) | ||
| Breech | 76 (7.16) | 77 (7.14) | ||
| Transverse | 54 (5.09) | 38 (3.50) | ||
| Referral during labour | 715 (67.45) | 760 (70.50) | ||
| Induced labour | 11 (1.03) | 14 (1.29) | ||
| Caesarean indication | ||||
| Foetal distress | 342 (32.16) | 328 (30.42) | ||
| Prolonged or obstructed labour | 252 (23.77) | 256 (23.74) | ||
| Previous caesarean section | 187 (17.64) | 191 (17.71) | ||
| Pre-eclampsia | 71 (6.69) | 62 (5.75) | ||
| Other indication | 208 (19.62) | 241 (22.35) | ||
| Caesarean decision-maker | ||||
| Obstetrician-gynaecologist | 541 (51.03) | 550 (51.02) | ||
| General practitioner | 290 (27.35) | 295 (27.36) | ||
| Midwife | 229 (21.60) | 233 (21.61) | ||
| Time of caesarean indication | ||||
| Planned before labour | 181 (17.07) | 173 (16.04) | ||
| Emergency intrapartum | 879 (82.93) | 905 (83.95) | ||
| Neonatal birth weight | ||||
| < 1500 g | 17 (1.46) | 19 (1.65) | ||
| 1500–2499 g | 152 (13.08) | 182 (15.81) | ||
| 2500–3999 g | 923 (79.43) | 913 (79.32) | ||
| ≥ 4000 g | 62 (5.33) | 45 (3.90) | ||
Values are the number with the indicated characteristic/number in the group (percentage) unless stated otherwise