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Medical Practice Variations in Reproductive, Obstetric, and Gynecological Care

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Medical Practice Variations

Part of the book series: Health Services Research ((HEALTHSR))

Abstract

In hospitals and practices that provide reproductive health services, there is still no consensus on the best way to diagnose and treat extensively studied clinical procedures. Procedures for surgery, screening, diagnostics, maternal, and newborn care vary across facilities, regions, and countries, and so do health outcomes. This chapter explores these variations. Understanding why and how clinical practices vary is a crucial step to improving reproductive health-related services.

Reproductive health encompasses all reproductive processes, functions, and systems, at all stages of life.

The definition of practice variation in reproductive health used in this chapter includes services for women’s and men’s reproductive health and neonatal care. Though the focus is on prostatectomies, hysterectomies, and C-section variations, this broad definition is kept in mind.

The study of medical practice variation of reproductive health started with the early work of Miller (Am J Obstet Gynecol 51:804–10, 1946) looking at hysterectomies and has progressed with the work of Wennberg and Fowler at al. exploring different gynecologic procedures and prostatectomy. Today, this field has grown significantly.

The first three sections of this chapter focus on medical practice variation for different types of services for women, men, and newborns. The last section of this chapter focuses on variation of the workforce supply and its effects on reproductive health.

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  1. Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Ilir Hoxha, André Busato & Xhyljeta Luta

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  1. Ilir Hoxha
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  2. André Busato
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  3. Xhyljeta Luta
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Correspondence to Ilir Hoxha .

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  1. DptofPublHlthSci,InstfrClnclEvltSciQueen, CntrforHlthServs&PolicyRsrch,Queen'sUniv, Kingston, Canada

    Ana Johnson

  2. Institute forClinical EvaluativeSciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Thérèse A. Stukel

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Hoxha, I., Busato, A., Luta, X. (2016). Medical Practice Variations in Reproductive, Obstetric, and Gynecological Care. In: Johnson, A., Stukel, T. (eds) Medical Practice Variations. Health Services Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7603-1_76

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