3.1 General parameters of the enrolled hospitals
A total of 113 hospitals submitted the survey before February 29, 2020,
and were included in the final analysis (Table 1). The baseline
characteristics of the included and excluded hospitals were of no
significance. The survey was completed and submitted by the chief of the
Department of Obstetrics or senior physicians in each hospital; 80% of
them were older than 40 years, 75% were associated physicians or above,
and 53% had a Master’s degree or above. Of the 113 enrolled hospitals,
79% (89) were tertiary hospitals, 20% (23) were secondary hospitals,
and one was a primary hospital. As for the hospital-related
characteristics, 63% (71) of the hospitals were general hospitals, and
37% (42) were specialized hospitals. The total number of deliveries in
2019 was 770,828, and the average Cesarean section rate was 42%
(324,155).