How communication about risk and role affects women's decisions about birth after caesarean.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated how health care provider communication of risk information, and women's role in decision-making, influenced women's preferences for mode of birth after a previous caesarean birth.

METHODS

Women (N = 669) were randomised to one of eight conditions in a 2 (selectivity of risk information) × 2 (format of risk information) × 2 (role in decision making) experimental design. After exposure to a hypothetical decision scenario that varied information communicated by an obstetrician to a pregnant woman with a previous caesarean birth across the three factors, women were asked to decide their preferred hypothetical childbirth preference.

RESULTS

Women provided with selective information (incomplete/biased toward repeat caesarean) and relative risk formats (ratio of incidence being compared e.g. 2.5 times higher), perceived lower risk for caesarean and were significantly more likely to prefer repeat caesarean birth than those provided with non-selective information (complete/unbiased) and absolute risk formats (incidence rate e.g. 0.01 per 100). Role in decision-making did not significantly influence childbirth preferences CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable aspects of healthcare provider communication may influence women's decision-making about childbirth preferences PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Optimised communication about risks of all options may have an impact on over-use of repeat CS.