Under value-based payment programs, patient-reported experiences and outcomes can impact hospital and physician revenue. To enable obstetrical providers to improve the childbirth experience, a framework for understanding what women expect and desire during childbirth is needed.

The purpose of this study was to identify key predictors of childbirth hospital satisfaction with the use of the Childbirth Experiences Survey.

This study builds on a larger effort that used Patient-Reported Outcomes Management Information System methods to develop a childbirth-specific preliminary patient-reported experiences and outcomes item bank. These efforts led to the development of an antepartum and postpartum survey (Childbirth Experiences Survey Parts 1 and 2). All phases of the study were conducted with the participation of a community-based research team. We conducted a prospective observational study using national survey response panels that was organized through Nielsen to identify women’s antepartum values and preferences for childbirth (Childbirth Experiences Survey Part 1). Eligible participants were pregnant women in the United States (English or Spanish speaking) who were ≥18 years old and ≥20 weeks pregnant. Women were recontacted and invited to participate in a postpartum follow-up survey to collect information about their childbirth patient-reported experiences and outcomes, which included childbirth satisfaction (Childbirth Experiences Survey Part 2). In bivariate analyses, we tested whether predisposing conditions (eg, patient characteristics or previous experiences), values and preferences, patient-reported experiences and outcomes, and the “gaps” between values and preferences and patient-reported experiences and outcomes were predictors of women’s satisfaction with hospital childbirth services. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to examine the simultaneous effect of predictors on hospital satisfaction, which were adjusted for key predisposing conditions.

From 500 women who anticipated a vaginal delivery at the time of the antepartum survey, who labored before delivery, and who answered the postpartum survey, key findings included the following responses: (1) the strongest predictors of women’s satisfaction with hospital childbirth services were items in the domains of staff communication, compassion, empathy, and respect, and (2) 23 childbirth-specific patient-reported experiences and outcomes were identified. Examples of these patient-reported experiences and outcomes (such as being told about progress in labor and being involved in decisions regarding labor pain management) appeared especially relevant to women who experienced childbirth. A final model that predicted women’s satisfaction with hospital childbirth services included a total of 8 items that could be optimized by doctors, midwives, and hospitals. These included the patient’s report of how well she coped with labor pain, whether the hospital provided adequate space and food for their support person, and whether she received practical support for feeding the newborn infant.

This study identified 23 childbirth-specific patient-reported experiences and outcomes that were predictors of childbirth hospital satisfaction. The implementation of the Childbirth Experiences Survey Parts 1 and 2 in a multihospital setting may lead to the development of childbirth hospital performance measures and strategies for improvement of the childbirth experience.