title: The closure of rural and remote maternity services: Where are the midwives?
abstract: Decisions to close small maternity units in rural and remote communities have often precipitated a community response as women and families rally to save local services. But where are the midwives? We argue here that professional bodies such as colleges of midwives have a responsibility to advocate more strongly at a political level for evidence-based decisionmaking regarding the allocation of rural services. We suggest that adopting a comprehensive definition of maternity services risk that considers both social and health services risks and their impact on clinical risk, could provide a solid basis for effective advocacy by professional bodies.
authors.affiliation: University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney, PO Box 3074, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia. Electronic address: lesley.barclay@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rural Health Research, 3rd Floor David Strangway Building, 5950 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z3. Electronic address: jude.kornelsen@familymed.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Jude
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kornelsen
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D016550:Birthing Centers / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D001955:British Columbia; D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D006271:Health Facility Closure; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D008880:Midwifery / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*
keywords: Advocacy; Commentary; Maternity service; Risk; Rural and remote