Public Interest and Private Policy: The Cesarean Imperative in U.S. Maternity Care

Award Year: 2004	Investigator: Eugene Declercq,	Budget: $274,676	Categories: Maternal and Child Health
Abstract: In 2003, cesarean sections accounted for 27.6 percent of all births in the U.S. - the highest rate yet recorded in America and higher than rates in most other industrialized countries. Eugene R. Declercq, Ph.D. uses cesarean sections as a case study to address broader policy questions common to the U.S. health care system: overuse of a costly surgical procedure, disparities in terms of who receives the procedure, the impact of evidence in changing medical practice, the impact of physician fear of malpractice lawsuits, the role of consumers and other interest groups in shaping health care policy and practice, and the role of government in financing quality care and containing costs. Dr. Declercq's project, Public Interest and Private Policy: The Cesarean Imperative in U.S. Maternity Care, examines trends in cesarean births, outcomes of elective cesareans, women's attitudes toward maternity care, the views of obstetricians, the debate over malpractice reform, and the role of government initiatives. His work aims to influence maternity care practice and shed light more generally on health care policymaking in America.