Decreasing Unnecessary Cesarean Section Rate in North West Iran: A Story from Achievements and Challenges

Background: Cesarean section trend has been rising steadily at an alarming rate worldwide, from 6.7 in 1990 to 19.1 in 2014. Objective: The aim of this study was to reduce the high prevalence of Cesarean Section in Iran including North West of country. Methods: This study was conducted, using special package provided by the ministry of health (MOH) to reduce unnecessary CS rate in the university-affiliated hospitals in East Azerbaijan province. Results: The average annual growth rate of decreasing primary cesarean section (CS) varied from 2 to 9% in 2013-2017. Conclusion: Holding training classes, continuous education for midwives and the establishment of a feedback system to obstetricians were found to be among the main factors bringing about the success in eliminating unnecessary CS in the present study. The program might prove to be even more successful through increasing cooperation between obstetricians and anesthesiologists.