Table 2 Reasons people declined tests or procedures, with illustrative quotes

Unnecessary (n = 572)

“I did not see the need to”

“I did not have risk factors”

“I later accepted the intervention when it became necessary”

Did not align with the patient’s values (n = 303)

“I did not want one”

“I would not terminate pregnancy anyways”

“I wanted to labour naturally”

Preference for an alternative (n = 135)

“We opted for oral vitamin K”

“I decided on forceps instead”

“I kept a healthy diet instead of taking insulin”

Considered bad for baby (n = 104)

“I did not want goop in my baby’s eyes”

“The risks of amnio are too high”

They had access to information or had reviewed research that did not support the medication/intervention (n = 86)

“The research says the intervention does not improve outcomes”

“I heard that the test is inaccurate”

“The false positive rate is too high”

They felt uncomfortable (n = 38)

“I have a strong fear of needles”

“Putting in an epidural is too painful”

Health reasons (n = 31)

“I have a suspected allergy to analgesics”

“Laughing gas made me feel sick”

They felt that healthcare providers were being rude or incompetent (n = 28)

“The doctor was very pushy”

“The nurse was incompetent”

“I refused to see that OB again”

They felt it was too inconvenient (n = 14)

“I have a toddler at home”

“I was busy with work”

Other, Unspecified (n = 55)

“I didn’t like it the last time”

“I was abused in the past”