Induction Of Labor Among Singleton Pregnancies In Six Palestinian Governmental Hospitals: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Objective To explore rates and review practices regarding induction of labor (IOL) among singleton pregnancies in Palestine. Design A prospective population-based cohort study. Setting Six secondary and tertiary governmental hospitals located in the two regions of Palestine: West Bank and Gaza. Participants Singleton pregnancies who had IOL in participating units during the study period were included (n=8290). Women having multiple gestations (1004), planned cesarean births (703), those admitted with cervical dilation >6cm (11228), and pregnancies with no record of cervical dilation and/or gestational age on admission (219) were excluded. Primary outcome measure Rates of IOL in participating units and regions. Results There were a total of 33,402 singleton births during the study period with an IOL rate of 24.8%. Rates of IOL significantly varied between units, ranging from 12.9% to 45.6% (P-value