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Howard J. Eng, MS, DrPH, Michelle Parces, MPH, and Julie A. Jacobs, MS. Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Southwest Border Rural Health Research Center, Rural Health Office, 2501 E. Elm Street, Tucson, AZ 85716, (520) 626-7946, aeng@ahsc.arizona.edu
There is a growing concern by those interested in health issues as to whether Arizona can meet its rural prenatal care needs. The increasing challenges of recruiting and retaining much needed rural obstetrics/ gynecology physicians and certified nurse-midwives (e.g., physicians cannot obtain malpractice coverage) have resulted in an uncertain health care environment for those seeking obstetrics and prenatal care services. Methods: This is a five-year comparison study of the obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) physician and certified nurse-midwife (CNM) workforce, and prenatal care trends in Arizona’s rural and urban counties. Two null hypotheses are tested: (1) there are no differences in health practitioner workforce trends between rural and urban counties, and (2) the number and type of health care practitioners have no impact on access to prenatal care. Five years of OB/GYN physician and CNM practitioner data (1997-2001) was obtained from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Workforce data for active licensed OB/GYN physicians and CNM practitioners located in each of the state’s 15 counties was examined. Preliminary Results: In 2001, there were 651 obstetrics/gynecology physicians and 193 certified nurse-midwives in Arizona. There was a 42 percent increase in OB/GYN physicians (+193) from 1997 to 2001, which resulted in an increased ratio of OB/GYN physicians per 100,000 women of child-bearing age from 46.1 to 58.0. CNM practitioners showed a higher percentage increase at 51 percent (+65), resulting in an increased ratio of practitioners per 100,000 women of child-bearing age from 12.9 to 17.2 during the five-year period.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Maternal Care, Rural Health Care
Related Web page: None
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.