Rural Health
Research Gateway

Research Alert: November 20, 2019

Severe Maternal Morbidity and Hospital Transfer Among Rural Residents

Rural residents often travel farther to access medical care, especially obstetric care, and are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured than urban residents. Infant mortality and maternal morbidity and mortality are higher in rural versus urban settings. Also, access to obstetric care is declining in rural areas. Research on the relationship between transfer, delivery hospital location, and severe maternal morbidity and mortality (SMMM) for rural residents is needed. The focus of this analysis is on rural residents who give birth. We compare hospital transfer rates for rural and urban residents who gave birth, and we provide descriptive information about the relationship between transfer status and SMMM for rural residents in a national sample of births that occurred 2008-2014.

Contact Information:
Katy Kozhimannil, PhD, MPA
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Phone: 612.626.3812
kbk@umn.edu

National Rural Health Day is November 21, 2019!
To celebrate, Gateway will be sharing more research than usual throughout the month of November. We will be sharing policy briefs, research highlighted in national journals, and upcoming webinars on pressing rural health topics.

Additional Resources of Interest: