Hospital Care for Women Inconsistent
Reported June 26, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new study reveals the quality of maternity and cardiac care for women is extremely inconsistent because of large variations among hospitals.
HealthGrades, a leading independent healthcare ratings organization, has released its fifth annual Womens Health in American Hospitals study aimed at analyzing the quality of care for women at U.S. hospitals across 17 states. The study focused on women giving birth and women being treated for heart disease and stroke.
The maternity care portion of the study found women who give birth at top rated hospitals have 76 percent few complications during C-section birth and 51 percent fewer complications for vaginal birth compared to women giving birth at poor rated hospitals.
Women being treated for cardiovascular disease at top rated hospitals had a 40 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality than women being treated at poor rated hospitals.
It is imperative, based on the huge difference in the quality indentified in our study, that women research their local hospitals clinical outcomes before choosing where to receive their care, Samantha Collier, M.D., lead study author and HealthGrades chief medical officer was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: HealthGrades, published online June 24, 2008