Same Care No Matter Where She Gives Birth: Addressing Variation In Obstetric Care Through Standardization

This study, along with other disturbing statistics, underscores the significant need for improvements in maternity care. Maternal Morbidity and Disparities Since 1990, the maternal mortality ratio in the U.S. has more than doubled. We now rank 64th in the world, with 28 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. American women are also suffering severe maternal morbidities at higher rates: more than 60,000 women a year experience a life-threatening condition during childbirth. Potential explanations for these troubling trends include improved reporting mechanisms and escalating rates of chronic health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension among childbearing women, which increase the likelihood of complications. However, a lack of standardized care is considered to be a major contributing factor to worsening maternal health outcomes. Inconsistent care likely contributes to racial disparities in maternal health outcomes as well. As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports, while all pregnant women share the same baseline risk of developing childbirth complications, black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications than white women (even when income and education level are equivalent). Improving Quality Obstetric Care Eliminating variability is key to improving quality obstetric care for all women – a point that Katy Kozhimannil recently acknowledged on Health Affairs Blog. As Glance et al. n...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Access All Categories Disparities Hospitals Public Health Source Type: blogs