Cesarean section rates in the United States. The short-term failure of the National Consensus Development Conference in 1980
N. Gleicher
The magnitude of cesarean section rates in the United States has been of
increasing public concern. A consensus development conference in 1980
formulated recommendations that were expected to lead to a decrease in
national cesarean section rates. A review of cesarean section patterns for
the last five years in many representative states revealed, contrary to
expectations, a continuing increase in cesarean section delivery rates even
after the conference. A review of underlying causes for these developments
suggests that only a more efficient peer review process, involving
individual physicians as well as institutions, will lead to a decline of
unacceptably high cesarean section rates in this country.
