Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35698049›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022

Busy day effect on the use of obstetrical interventions and epidural analgesia during labour: a cross-sectional register study of 601 247 deliveries.

Riitta Vilkko, Sari Räisänen, Mika Gissler, Vedran Stefanovic, Ilkka Kalliala, Seppo Heinonen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Riitta VilkkoFaculty of Medicine, Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290, Helsinki, Finland. riitta.vilkko@helsinki.fi.
Sari RäisänenTampere University of Applied Sciences, Kuntokatu 3, 33520, Tampere, Finland.
Mika GisslerInformation Services Department, THL Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, 00270, Helsinki, Finland.
Vedran StefanovicDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fetomaternal Medical Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 2, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
Ilkka KallialaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 2, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
Seppo HeinonenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 2, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
University of Helsinki · FIFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare · FIHelsinki University Hospital · FIImperial College London · GBTampere University of Applied Sciences · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDaily delivery volume might affect the quality of obstetric care. We explored the busy day effect on selected obstetrical interventions and epidural analgesia performed during labour in different sized delivery hospitals and on the Finnish obstetric ecosystem.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study on Finnish Medical Birth Register data of singleton pregnancies (N = 601,247) from 26 delivery hospitals from 2006 to 2016. Delivery hospitals were stratified by annual delivery volume: C (category) 1: < 1000, C2: 1000-1999, C3: 2000-2999, C4: ≥3000, and C5: university hospitals. The exposure variables were defined as quiet, optimal, and busy days determined based on daily delivery volume distribution in each hospital category. Quiet and busy days included approximately 10% of the lowest and highest delivery volume days, while the rest were defined as optimal. Outcome measures were unplanned caesarean section (CS), instrumental delivery, induction of labour, and epidural analgesia. We compared the incidence of outcomes in quiet vs. optimal, busy vs. optimal, and busy vs. quiet days using logistic regression. The statistical significance level was set at 99% to reduce the likelihood of significant spurious findings.

resultsIn the total population, the incidence of instrumental delivery was 8% (99% CI 2-15%) lower on quiet than on optimal days. In smaller hospitals (C1 and C2), unplanned caesarean sections were performed up to one-third less frequently on busy than optimal and quiet days. More (27%, 99% CI 12-44%) instrumental deliveries were performed in higher delivery volume hospitals (C4) on busy than quiet days. In C1-C3, deliveries were induced (12-35%) less often and in C5 (37%, 99% CI 28-45%) more often on busy than optimal delivery days. More (59-61%) epidural analgesia was performed on busy than optimal and quiet days in C4 and 8% less in C2 hospitals.

conclusionsPooled analysis showed that busyness had no effect on outcomes at the obstetric ecosystem level, but 10% fewer instrumental deliveries were performed in quiet than on busy days overall. Furthermore, dissecting the data shows that small hospitals perform less, and large non-tertiary hospitals perform more interventions during busy days.

Indexed as

Analgesia, EpiduralAnalgesia, ObstetricalCesarean SectionCross-Sectional StudiesDelivery, ObstetricEcosystemFemaleHumansPregnancyBusy day effectDelivery volumeHospital sizeIntervention during labourObstetrical interventionObstetricsRegister study

Identifiers

PMID35698049
PMCPMC9190134
OpenAlexW4282840742

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.