Publication Date: September 11th, 2024
Publication Type(s): Practical Implications
Topic(s): Critical Access Hospitals, Health Disparities and Health Equity, Healthcare Access, Hospitals and Clinics, Maternal Health, Women
Author(s): Kozhimannil KB, Interrante JD, Fritz AH, Sheffield EC, Carroll C, and Handley S
This document aims to inform rural stakeholders about challenges related to access to and quality of hospital-based childbirth care in rural US communities. It summarizes available data on:
- Challenges of providing obstetric services in rural settings
- Quality and outcomes of care at low-volume rural obstetric units
- Risks associated with rural obstetric unit closures
- Challenges faced by communities without hospital-based obstetric care
We also describe clinical and policy efforts to improve access and quality of care for birthing people and their infants in low-volume rural obstetric units and in rural communities that lack access to hospital-based obstetric care. This synthesis provides information about the potential effects of decisions that rural stakeholders make about health care and community resources.