title: The diffusion of obstetric technology into rural U.S. hospitals.
abstract: We determined the distribution and sophistication of obstetric technologies in all 80 maternity hospitals in the state of Washington and examined the effect of rural or urban location, birth volume, and physician staffing on technological intensity. Although smaller and more rural hospitals refer most premature and low-birth-weight infants to regional referral centers, sophisticated prenatal and intrapartum technologies are available in the majority of even the smallest and most remote rural units. Rural hospitals have slightly lower obstetrical intervention rates than do their urban counterparts, but the differences are not great.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rosenblatt
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Tressler
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Nesbitt
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014861:Washington