This brief provides details of a study that compared cesarean section (c-section) rates in rural hospitals to the rates in urban hospitals using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. It finds that the c-section rate for rural hospitals is above the World Health Organization recommended rate of 10-15%. The brief explains that understanding the differences in delivery patterns allows for monitoring of the quality of care in rural hospitals and further research into the medical appropriateness of c-sections.
It includes tables and references.
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