Use of oxytocin and misoprostol for induction or ... - POPPHI

Data on indications for induction were identified in the literature or from routine health
information sources from six developed countries. The data are from 1995-2007 for five
of the six countries. The data from Finland dates back to 1985-86 (69). See Table 3.4c.
Some of these references focus on only a few specific indications, while others present
distributions that sum to greater than 100 percent, suggesting that multiple indications for
induction were reported. (Common multiple indications would include, for example,
fetal concerns and pregnancy-induced hypertension, fetal concerns and post-dates and
fetal and maternal concerns). The specific conditions which are collapsed under
maternal, fetal and hypertensive disorders also vary by study. IUFD as an indication for
induction was only reported in one study in New Zealand (74) and was either not
mentioned or specifically excluded from study in the remaining studies. Given these
caveats, it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions from these data. In general,
elective induction appears to be very common in some studies, with rates around 50
percent in the sampled hospitals in Australia and Finland. Three of the four US-based
studies show rates ranging from 24 to 39 percent, with one study reporting only six
percent. Post-dates and hypertensive disorders are the two most commonly reported
medical indications.
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