Hospital length-of-stay after childbirth in France

Objective. - To study hospital length-of-stay (LOS) after childbirth and its determinants and to describe home care offered after discharge. Population and method. - We studied 10,302 women with vaginal delivery from the 2010 French National Perinatal Survey. Maternal, newborn, maternity unit characteristics and the region of birth were considered. Simple and polytomial regression analyses were used to study determinants of postpartum LOS. Maternity units that offered routinely home visits by midwives after discharge were described. Results. - Around 29,0% of women had a LOS <= 3 days, with significant variations between regions. LOS <= 3 days was more common among multiparas and women who bottle-fed their newborn. In the Greater Parisian Region, LOS <= 3 days ranged from 16,6% in private units < 1000 del/year to 72,9% in teaching units >= 3000 del/y. Among women who had a LOS <= 3 days, only 19,7% were in a unit, which offered home visits routinely. Conclusion. - LOS varies mainly according to the place of delivery. The trends towards short LOS are likely to continue due to economic pressures and home care services should be developed to ensure continuity of care for all mothers after discharge. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.