US ranks low for Newborn survival

hornpharmd

5,000+ Posts
41 out of 45 industrialized nations

Article cites preterm deliveries due to poor access to prenatal care and preventative care as a primary cause.

Healthcare reform should help address the access issue. Hopefully when we look at this again in 10 years we will see a bigger decrease in deaths in this area.
 
Do a google search on the issue. Reporting is different in the US. Some countries account for still births and low birth weigth neonates differently. Plus, reporting is better in the US. Here is a short blurb from Wiki:

The exclusion of any risk infants from the denominator or numerator in reported IMRs can be problematic for comparisons. Many countries, including the United States, Sweden or Germany, count an infant exhibiting any sign of life as alive, no matter the month of gestation or the size, but according to United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers,[6] some other countries differ in these practices. All of the countries named adopted the WHO definitions in the late 1980s or early 1990s,[7] which are used throughout the European Union.[8] However, in 2009, the US CDC issued a report that stated that the American rates of infant mortality were affected by the United States' high rates of premature babies compared to European countries. It also outlined the differences in reporting requirements between the United States and Europe, noting that France, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland do not report all live births of babies under 500 g and/or 22 weeks of gestation.[6][9][10] The report concluded, however, that the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation for the United States’ relatively low international ranking.[10]

Another well-documented example also illustrates this problem. Until the 1990s, Russia and the Soviet Union did not count, as a live birth or as an infant death, extremely premature infants (less than 1,000 g, less than 28 weeks gestational age, or less than 35 cm in length) that were born alive (breathed, had a heartbeat, or exhibited voluntary muscle movement) but failed to survive for at least seven days.[11] Although such extremely premature infants typically accounted for only about 0.005% of all live-born children, their exclusion from both the numerator and the denominator in the reported IMR led to an estimated 22%-25% lower reported IMR. In some cases, too, perhaps because hospitals or regional health departments were held accountable for lowering the IMR in their catchment area, infant deaths that occurred in the 12th month were "transferred" statistically to the 13th month (i.e., the second year of life), and thus no longer classified as an infant death.
 
Aside from the credibility of the statistics, the CNN report points to the larger than normal premature rate in the US. I wonder is this stress related, food/unhealthy food, or what other factors might cause this country to have a higher proportion of preemies?

This story makes me sad.
frown.gif
 
The article isn't very clear. for instanec it says there are areas in the US where prenatal care and preventive care is a problem but it does not say where these areas are or why it is a problem.
Nor does it say what the death rate is in these areas.
 
the report is bs since we calculate our survival rates differently. the care here is the best in the world. i work with many ex-pats from other countries and they agree. most of the problems that arise in this country are due to poor diet and health by the mother which is the result of intentional disregard of the fetus.
 
The access to care blame is BS. Low income pregnancy is a fast pass to Medicaid.

For some posters, I know it's against your core beliefs, but personal health and lifestyle choices actually do make a difference in prenatal health.
 
these studies are dumb. in this country, if there is a problem during childbirth, the doctors have a lot more freedom to do an immediate c-section or other procedure to save the mom and baby. in most industrialized nations with socialized healthcare, this isnt the case.
 
Pharm?

You posted the article. You didn't link the study that showed what specific facts and research they used to arrive at their conclusions.
No where in the article that I found did it say Where these areas are in USA that have no access to care .
It is not believable that there are enough areas with large enough populations of women becoming pregnant, getting no care and then delivering babies who die resulting in the USA being behind for instance Cuba. I am not saying there aren't areas where medical care is hard to come by I am saying there aren't that many, relevant to toal population.
.
Abiliity to pay?
give me an example of a pregnant woman who needs prenatal care but is denied because she can't pay.
Even illegals get prenatal care free.

so thanks for playing but you didn't provide any answers to the questions.
 
it's a shame that the left has to present lies and distortions to promote the broken system which is socialized medicine. you want to find out who has the best healthcare, follow the money. where do the wealthy around the world go to get treated when it really matters?
 
our healthcare system (inclusive of newborn fertility rates) is much better than those on the left would have us believe - and much worse than those on the right would have us believe. until we agree on the problem, it will be impossible to agree on any solutions.

i think it's pretty clear that the rates are figured differently in different countries, and that basically invalidates most of these studies. it doesn't mean that they don't include some elements of truth, but it's the old "garbage in, garbage out" adage. if the data is flawed, the results are flawed (not necessarily wrong, but flawed).

In reply to:


 
Pharm
Humor me. show me where in either of your links it says WHERE in the USA there are areas of no access and how many child bearing women ,live in those areas.

and then show me where it says women are not receiving prenatal care because they can't afford it.
I asked You to name an instance where a pregnant women was refused care because she couldn't pay for it.


Of course we can always try to do more but for the vast part we, as a country, do make a better effort than anyone to offer medical care. We can't force anyone to accept it and we can't force anyone to follow the instructions given.

Until there is a study with data collected the exact same way for all countires it is meaningless.
 

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