Staffing More Doctors and Midwives Tied to Lower C-Section Rates

New study raises possibility that staff shortages could lead to increase in unnecessary C-sections

An undated stock photo of a mother holding a baby. Echo Grid/Unsplash

Pregnant women may be less likely to have cesarean deliveries when they labor at a hospital with more obstetricians and midwives on staff, a French study suggests.

At the 11 hospitals in the study, as the number of obstetricians per unit increased, the rate of cesareans, or C-sections, performed after labor had begun decreased, said study leader Saad Zbiri. And as the number of midwives per unit increased, fewer cesareans were done that had been planned in advance.