Too much and too little

The Amnesty International report Deadly Delivery, released last year, comes on the heels of an investigation in California that found that maternal deaths have tripled there in recent years. It also, not surprisingly, follows a maternal-mortality alert issued in January by the Joint Commission, a group that accredits hospitals and other medical organizations. That report noted that some of the most common errors included failure to control blood pressure in hypertensive women and failure to pay attention to vital signs after C-sections (which occur at a rate of over 32%); both highly preventable risk factors.

While all reports also point out the numerous barriers women face in accessing care, even among those who are insured or qualify for Medicaid, no one can argue that poverty is a major factor, but with the U.S. spending more money per women per pregnancy than any other nation, it's apparent that throwing money at the problem will not make it disappear. All women in the U.S. are put at a unique risk from the overuse of obstetrical intervention and barriers to access to more woman-centered, physiologic care provided by family-practice physicians and midwives, compounded with the lack of medical oversight of this intervention.

We are doing both too much, and too little.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1971633,00.html#ixzz1tewkbCS7