Choosing between hospitals: The influence of the experiences of other patients

Objective. Publicly available information on hospital performance is increasing, with the aim to support consumers when choosing a hospital. Besides general hospital information and information on outcomes of care, there is increasing availability of systematically collected information on experiences of other patients. The aim of this study was...

The relative importance of quality of care information when choosing a hospital for surgical treatment: A hospital choice experiment

Objective: To assess the impact of quality of care and other hospital information on patients' choices between hospitals. Methods: 665 former surgical patients were invited to respond to an Internet-based questionnaire including a choice-based conjoint analysis. Each patient was presented with 12 different comparisons of 2 hospitals, with each...

Choosing a Hospital for Surgery: The Importance of Information on Quality of Care

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether patients use information on quality of care when choosing a hospital for surgery compared with more general hospital information. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study in 3 Dutch hospitals, questionnaires were sent to 2122 patients who underwent 1 of 6 elective surgical procedures in 2005-2006 (aorta reconstruction ...

The Effect of Preconception Counselling on Lifestyle and Other Behaviour Before and During Pregnancy

Background: Recent studies suggest that the basis for adverse pregnancy outcomes is often established early in pregnancy, during organogenesis. It is therefore important to take preventive action as early as possible, preferably before pregnancy. Because most adverse pregnancy outcomes occur in women who are unaware of being at risk, we...

Pre-conception counselling in primary care: Prevalence of risk factors among couples contemplating pregnancy

The outcome of pregnancy can be influenced by several risk factors. Women who are informed about these risks during pre-conception counselling (PCC) have an opportunity to take preventive measures in time. Several studies have shown that high-risk populations have a high prevalence of such risk factors. However, prevalence in the general...

Women's motives for not participating in preconception counseling: Qualitative study

Aims: Information about risk factors and preventive measures given before conception is estimated to prevent 15-35% of adverse pregnancy outcomes. We aimed to identify women's motives for not responding to an invitation for preconception counseling (PCC) from their general practitioner. Methods: A purposive sample of 11 women who did not respond...

GP-initiated preconception counselling in a randomised controlled trial does not induce anxiety

Background: Preconception counselling (PCC) can reduce adverse pregnancy outcome by addressing risk factors prior to pregnancy. This study explores whether anxiety is induced in women either by the offer of PCC or by participation with GP-initiated PCC. Methods: Randomised trial of usual care versus GP-initiated PCC for women aged 18-40, in 54...

Preconception counselling initiated by general practitioners in the Netherlands: Reaching couples contemplating pregnancy

Background: To maximise the potential for reducing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, preconception counselling (PCC) is used to inform couples contemplating pregnancy about general and personal risk factors. Many initiatives have been developed to provide PCC, but none offers it routinely in a presumed low-risk population. The objective of...