Publication:

The ten group Robson classification: an institutional study to analyse the caesarean section rates

Background Over the last few decades, there has been an alarming increase in the rate of deliveries by caesarean section (CS) in most of the countries, though the drivers of this trend are not completely understood. In 1985, WHO had proposed that ideal rate for regional CS rates should not exceed 10-15%. The Robson’s classification system is simple, robust and flexible. The study was done as it was important to have a tool to monitor, compare the CS rates in a same setting and between different settings over a period of time and to optimise the CS rates.

Methods It was a retrospective study conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology in a tertiary care centre. The hospital delivery records were reviewed for a period of 15 months from April 2020 to June 2021.

Results The total number of deliveries during the study period was 1016. The total number of CSs was 441 and the total number of vaginal deliveries was 575.The CS rate was 43.4%. The relative contribution from groups 1, 2 and 5 in our study accounted for 76.36% and group 5 accounted for 44.4% of the total CSs. These 3 groups should be the focus of attention to reduce the overall CS rates.

Conclusions It is advisable that all institutions can use the Robson’s report table to analyse the population catered by them and to make institutional specific policies. This will allow comparing the data amongst the different institutions and countries which can help in policy making.