Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106860

Ivy Lynn Bourgeault, PhD, Health Studies/Sociology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4M4, Canada, 905-525-9140 ext. 23832, bourgea@mcmaster.ca

Numerous articles in the Canadian media and in the health care literature point to a crisis in obstetrical care, which is particularly salient in rural areas. Obstetricians are in short supply, many family doctors are not practicing obstetrics for both personal and professional reasons, and the modest increase of midwives in some provinces is not enough to make up the shortfall. The implications of this scarcity for those who need these services and those who are left to provide them is in critical need of examination. In this talk, I will draw upon data from two studies to address this issue: 1) a study of maternity care human resources in Canada and in the U.S. which includes documentary and interview data from key informants primarily in Ontario and New York State; and 2) an in-depth study of 27 women in two rural areas in Alberta and 25 women in two similar areas in Ontario specifically regarding their experiences with rural maternity care and the unique challenges faced by rural women in both provinces.

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