Are private patients 'too posh to push'?

Conclusion This study has highlighted important differences in modes of delivery for women receiving privately or publically funded care in Ireland. It found that women who were treated privately were more likely to give birth by caesarean section and more likely to have an operative vaginal delivery. The greatest difference was seen for planned caesarean sections.    It is unclear why women receiving private care had different modes of delivery to women receiving publically funded care. Interestingly, the women receiving public and private care had the same doctors and midwives, so it would be expected that their care would be similar. Women who received private care were older, of higher socioeconomic status and more likely to have become pregnant through assisted conception. The researchers tried to account for medical or obstetric risk differences, and state that these cannot fully account for the differences seen in how the babies were delivered. However, the study can't exclude the possibility that there were other differences between the groups that were not accounted for. The researchers speculate that the private patients may be more willing to agree to have a caesarean section if it was recommended by their doctors. The media's often-used term that women who choose to have a caesarean section are "too posh to push" is both unhelpful and distasteful. It implies a sense of entitlement and laziness, and ignores the wide range of reasons why a caesarean...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news