To the Editor: Of the many problems with the study by Robson and colleagues,1 the one that concerns us most is the outcome of perinatal death. The headline that this is twice as high in public hospitals has the potential to scare those who have no choice about where they give birth. Both the public and the medical community have a right to expect that this outcome is rigorously and accurately represented. We do not believe this to be the case.
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- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
Correspondence: nevans@med.usyd.edu.au
- 1. Robson SJ, Laws P, Sullivan EA. Adverse outcomes of labour in public and private hospitals in Australia: a population-based descriptive study. Med J Aust 2009; 190: 474-477. <MJA full text>
- 2. Laws P, Hilder L. Australia’s mothers and babies 2006. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008: 67-73. (AIHW Cat. No. PER 46.)
- 3. Getahun D, Ananth CV, Kinzler WL. Risk factors for antepartum and intrapartum stillbirth: a population-based study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007; 196: 499-507.
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