Rural Obstetric Services: Access, Workforce, and Impact
Link | View Research Recap | |
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Date | 04/2019 | |
Description | This resource presents current hospital-based obstetric closure rates and characteristics of rural communities without and losing obstetric services, as well as the impact of limited access on maternal and child health. | |
Topics | Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Women, Workforce |
Rural Health Research Products Included in this Recap
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Access to Obstetric Services in Rural Counties Still Declining, With 9 Percent Losing Services, 2004-14
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 09/2017
Providing access to obstetric care in rural areas is a growing concern. By 2014, about 54% of rural counties in the United States did not have hospital obstetric services. -
Association Between Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services and Birth Outcomes in Rural Counties in the United States
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2018
This study examines whether the loss of obstetric services in hospitals in rural U.S. counties led to changes in childbirth outcomes or locations. -
Closure of Hospital Obstetric Services Disproportionately Affects Less-Populated Counties
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2017
This policy brief describes the scope of obstetric unit and hospital closures resulting in loss of obstetric services in rural U.S. counties from 2004 to 2014. -
The Maternity Care Nurse Workforce in Rural U.S. Hospitals
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 05/2017
Findings are shared from a study examining the maternity care nursing workforce in rural hospital in the United States. -
The Obstetric Care Workforce in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Non-CAHs
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 11/2014
This brief details rural hospital obstetric staffing patterns in nine states by critical access hospital status. The purpose was to examine obstetric practice models in rural hospitals, providing information to rural hospitals with obstetric care units regarding workforce and informing policymakers about the context in which the hospitals operate. -
The Rural Obstetric Workforce in U.S. Hospitals: Challenges and Opportunities
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2015
Describes the healthcare and clinician types who are delivering babies in rural hospitals, such as family physicians, general surgeons, obstetricians, and midwives. Discusses the relationship between hospital birth volume and staffing models. -
State Variability in Access to Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural U.S. Counties
Policy Brief
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 04/2017
This policy brief describes state-level variations in 1) the availability of hospital-based obstetric services, and 2) the scope of obstetric unit and hospital closures resulting in the loss of obstetric services in rural U.S. counties from 2004 to 2014. -
Why Are Obstetric Units in Rural Hospitals Closing Their Doors?
Journal Article
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2016
Analyzes the reasons behind hospital- and county-level factors for rural obstetric unit closures.