A new study published in Health Affairs shows that in-hospital obstetric services in the U.S. have been waning since 2010.
Key findings:
- Iowa experienced the highest loss of obstetric services in their hospitals during the study period.
- North Dakota has the highest percentage of hospitals without obstetric services.
- Seven US states had at least a quarter of their hospitals stop offering obstetric services during the study period.
- Obstetric services are more difficult to access in rural areas, with over two-thirds of their hospitals in eight US states not offering obstetric care.
