Maternity and perinatal services in an urban-suburban area.
The need for community-wide planning of maternity and newborn services is illustrated by a survey of services in Alameda County, California. The decline in birthrate, coupled with the persistence of a number of low volume obstetrical and newborn units, is reflected in generally underutilized and unevenly distributed services. Primary, intermediate and tertiary levels of care are represented, but not always in a logical relationship to community needs. Postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynecology and in pediatrics continues to produce increasing numbers of specialists despite declining fertility and a decline (represented by children and youth) in the total population.
D002140:California; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D009725:Nurseries, Hospital; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D014505:Urban Population