Childbirth is the arguably the most important event in all of our lives. C-sections are the most common surgery performed in the United States. We know that the quality of deliveries varies from one hospital to the next, but in what ways and how much? Finding out has been a major research project in Massachusetts, until now. We conducted dozens of interviews to determine how experts measure the quality of childbirth. We narrowed the list to five well established measures that would be of use and of interest to dozens of expectant mothers we surveyed. We pulled the latest available data, both public and private and gathered data that was not already collected. We created a map so that women and their families could compare hospitals statewide or in their area. We have a chart that shows viewers how each hospital compares on each measure. The package (map and chart) includes an explanation for every measure. The charts highlight major differences on all the measures, perhaps most significantly in first time C-sections (13% to 31%) and episiotomies (1% to 31%). These are differences that matter for many women, differences they could not have known about, without a lot of work, before the release of this story. Even early elective deliveries, something that was supposed to have become a “never event” at Massachusetts hospitals, were still being reported at roughly half of the hospitals in the state. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that women have a single source for one-stop quality shopping for childbirth.
