[Out-of-hospital births in Hungary in the post-COVID-19 era].

Introduction: In our analysis, we describe the main characteristics of out-of-hospital deliveries in Hungary. Objective: Our aim is to provide a descriptive statistical analysis of the prevalence of out-of-hospital births in Hungary after COVID–19 and to identify the demographic and social groups in which this is prevalent. Method: We analyze the vital statistics database of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. This database contains data for all live births in Hungary on the place of birth and whether a doctor or midwife was present at the birth. Despite its advantages, this database has so far been underused in scientific and statistical analyses. In many points, the data analyzed are also comparable with the standards of the government decree 35/2011 (III. 21.) on the professional rules, conditions and reasons for exclusion of out-of-hospital births. Results: Following the outbreak of the COVID–19 epidemic, the proportion of out-of-hospital births in Hungary has also increased, from 0.6% to around 1%. The proportion of out-of-hospital births where medical personnel were present has increased. A higher proportion of out-of-hospital births are among young and relatively old mothers. The probability of having a baby outside the hospital increases in parallel with the number of previous births. The proportion of women with secondary education giving birth outside the hospital is below average. The proportion of newborn infants born outside the hospital is above average for high birth weight and height. Discussion: The results show that the phenomenon of out-of-hospital births in the post-COVID–19 period is demographically and socially polarized. A significant number of out-of-hospital births take place even outside of the boundaries defined by the current legal regulations, the results of which indicate that a non-negligible proportion of these cases is in all likelihood planned out-of-hospital birth. Conclusion: The results may raise the need to reduce the discrepancy between the legal regulation, which has remained unchanged for more than a decade, and the actual practice of out-of-hospital delivery. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(27): 1044–1052.