The Availability of Midwifery Care in Rural United States Communities.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Access to pregnancy-related and childbirth-related health care for rural residents is limited by health workforce shortages in the United States. Although midwives are key pregnancy and childbirth care providers, the current landscape of the rural midwifery workforce is not well understood. The goal of this analysis was to describe the availability of local midwifery care in rural US communities.

Methods

We developed and conducted a national survey of rural US hospitals with current or recently closed childbirth services. Maternity unit managers or administrators at 292 rural hospitals were surveyed from March to August 2021, with 133 hospitals responding (response rate 46%; 93 currently offering childbirth services, 40 recently closed childbirth services). This

SUBMITTER: Sheffield EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11622357 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature