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).