Perinatal Mortality and Medical Care Effectiveness:

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
This article is concerned with using perinatal mortality as an indicator of the effectiveness of medical care. Perinatal mortality rates in various birthweight groups within the below 2,501 gram range are negatively correlated with perinatal mortality rates in the above 2,500 gram birthweight group. Areas with relatively high perinatal mortal ity rates among low-weight births tend to have relatively low perinatal mortality rates among higher weight births and vice versa. Mortality rates for all birthweights vary 2:1. When the above 2,500 gram birthweight group is considered, the range of variation between the best and worst is as great as 4:1. The association between 23 indicators of socioeconomic conditions and various crude and standar dized perinatal mortality rates is examined. Although low birthweight is piasitively correlated with socioeconomic disadvantage, standar dization for birthweight does not remove the association between overall perinatal mortality and many of the socioeconomic variables. Such variables commonly have a significant association with perinatal mortality among higher weight births, but no significant association with perinatal mortality among low-weight births or vice versa. Perinatal mortality rates covering all birth weight groups may well conceal important effects from the point of view of monitoring the effectiveness of the service provided.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: