Abstract
The quality of maternity care in the United States is variable, and access to care is tenuous for rural residents, low-income individuals, and people of color. Without accessible, timely, and high-quality care, certain clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of individuals may render them more vulnerable to poor birth outcomes. However, risk factors for poor birth outcomes do not occur in a vaccum; rather, health care financing, delivery, and organization as well as the policy environment shape the context in which patients seek and receive maternity care. This paper describes the relationship between access and quality in maternity care and offers a systems-level perspective on the innovations and strategies needed in research, clinical care, and policy to improve equity in maternal and infant health.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 367-374 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Seminars in Perinatology |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Support for this study was provided by the Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration , United States Department of Health and Human Services, PHS Grant no. 5U1CRH03717 .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords
- Access
- Birth outcomes
- Disparities
- Equity
- Maternity care
- Quality
- Race
- Rural health
