Abstract
Abstract: This article reviews various factors that influence a patient's selection of obstetrical care. Selection of a particular hospital for delivery is not always as simplistic as it may seem. There are many factors that prohibit a woman from delivering at her hospital of choice. Socioeconomic conditions create major barriers that are difficult to overcome. Other factors, such as health status, the patient's residential characteristics an d the perception of quality of the hospital play a significant role in the decision-making process. There is a need for studies that examine specific insurance coverage of patients instead of proxies. Understanding why a patient selects one facility over another will be valuable not only to health care providers, but also to health care planners, health educators, and health care policy makers as we move into the new millennium. [Am J Health Studies 1999; 15(2): 100-106]