HTA Details
Caesarean Delivery Rate Review
- Publication date
-
2015-March-01
- Status
- Final
- Topic Area
- Fertility, Pregnancy and Childbirth
- Recommendation
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Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee Recommendations
After considering the evidence and the recommendations from the Expert Advisory Panel on Rate Variation in Caesarean Sections Across Ontario, the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee recommended that:
- The Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) Ontario, with the Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health, provide audit and feedback to individual hospitals regarding their low-risk obstetrical population to support quality improvement in maternal-infant care.
- Ontario Health, in collaboration with BORN, track induction rates (proportion of women who were induced with an indication of post-dates and were less than 41 weeks’ gestation at delivery) and Caesarean delivery rates (in low-risk nulliparous women) as key performance indicators.
- Ministry Response
-
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has accepted these recommendations.
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To read the full OHTAC Recommendation Report for this topic, contact our Health Innovation team using the contact form to request a digital copy.
Caesarean delivery (also known as a C-section) is an operation to deliver a baby. It can be performed when a vaginal delivery would be risky for the mother or the baby. However, the mother and/or baby may have serious complications from a Caesarean delivery, and women who have had one surgical delivery have more risk of complications during future births.
To understand if Caesarean deliveries are being done only when necessary, it is important to know how many are performed in Ontario and what factors are associated with higher or lower rates. For example, how many Caesarean deliveries are for nulliparous (first-time) mothers and how many are performed for women who do not have a high risk of complications?
Supporting Documents
Last Updated: February 24, 2026
