Effects of rurality and distance to care on perinatal outcomes over a 1-year period during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pratyusha V BujimallaKimberly Ann KenneHaley A SteffenSamantha R SwartzLinder H WendtAdam M SkibbeJ Brooks JacksonMary B RysavyPublished in: The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association (2023)
Distance to care, rather than rurality, was the key predictor of multiple adverse perinatal outcomes in this cohort of deliveries over a 1-year period. Our study suggests that rurality should not be used as a standalone indicator of access to care without further knowledge of the specific barriers affecting a given population.