Trends in the Mode of Delivery of Pregnant Women in Rural Guatemala from a Quality Improvement Database.

Purpose To evaluate trends and factors associated with mode of delivery in the rural Southwest Trifinio region of Guatemala. Description We conducted a retrospective analysis of self-reported antepartum factors and postpartum outcomes recorded in a quality improvement database among 430 women enrolled in a home-based maternal healthcare program between June 1, 2015 and August 1, 2017. Assessment Over the study period, the rates of cesarean delivery (CD) increased (from 30 to 45%) and rates of vaginal delivery (VD) decreased (70-55%) while facility-based delivery attendance remained stable around 70%. Younger age (23.5 years for VD vs. 21.6 years for CD, p < 0.001), nulliparity (25.1% for VD vs. 45.0% for CD, p < 0.001), prolonged/obstructed labor (2.4% for VD vs. 55.6% for CD, p < 0.001), and fetal malpresentation (0% for VD vs. 16.3% CD, p < 0.001) significantly influenced mode of delivery in univariate analysis. The leading indications for CD were labor dysfunction (47.5%), malpresentation (14.5%), and prior cesarean delivery (19.8%). The CD rate among the subpopulation of term, nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies in vertex presentation also increased from 20% of all CD in 2015, to 38% in 2017. Conclusion Among low-income women from rural Guatemala, the CD rate has increased above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations in a period of 3 years. Additional research on the factors affecting this trend are essential to guide interventions that might improve the appropriateness of CD, and to determine if reducing or stabilizing rates is necessary.