Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Mar;44(1):13-25.
doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2016.10.002.

Quality of Care and Disparities in Obstetrics

Elizabeth A Howell  1 , Jennifer Zeitlin  2
Affiliations
Review

Quality of Care and Disparities in Obstetrics

Elizabeth A Howell et al. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Growing attention is being paid to obstetric quality of care as patients are pressing the health care system to measure and improve quality. There is also an increasing recognition of persistent racial and ethnic disparities prevalent in obstetric outcomes. Yet few studies have linked obstetric quality of care with racial and ethnic disparities. This article reviews definitions of quality of care, health disparities, and health equity as they relate to obstetric care and outcomes; describes current efforts and challenges in obstetric quality measurement; and proposes 3 steps in an effort to develop, track, and improve quality and reduce disparities in obstetrics.

Keywords: Disparities; Equity; Obstetrics; Quality improvement; Quality of care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Risk –adjusted severe maternal morbidity rates for black and white deliveries by site of care. From Howell EA, Egorova N, Balbierz A, et al. Black-white differences in severe maternal morbidity and site of care. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Jan;214(1):122.e5; with permission.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Three strategies to reduce disparities by focusing on quality of care.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. DeFrances CJ, Cullen KA, Kozak LJ. National Hospital Discharge Survey: 2005 annual summary with detailed diagnosis and procedure data. Vital Health Stat. 2007 Dec;13(165):1–209. - PubMed
    1. Andrews RM. The national hospital bill: the most expensive conditions by payer. 2008 Paper presented at: (HCUP Statistical Brief 59); 2008; Rockville, MD.
    1. [Accessed July 16, 2016];Transforming Maternity Care – United States Maternity Care Facts and Figures. 2012 http://transform.childbirthconnection.org/resources/datacenter/factsandf...
    1. MacDorman MF, Mathews TJ. Behind international rankings of infant mortality: how the United States compares with Europe. Int J Health Serv. 2010;40(4):577–588. - PubMed
    1. Amnesty International. Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the US. London, UK: Amnesty International; 2010.

MeSH terms