Health equity research in obstetric anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Anesthesiology
• Health Equity Research

Background:

• Health equity is a key priority in obstetric anesthesia.
• Simply describing perinatal care and outcome disparities is insufficient for progress.
• Conceptualizing and framing disparities is essential for targeted research questions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the need for hypothesizing and testing mechanisms driving perinatal disparities.
• To guide the targeting, testing, and refinement of effective countermeasures.
• To advance maternal health equity through improved research methodologies.

Main Methods:

• Narrating, conceptualizing, and investigating social determinants of health (SDOH) as drivers of perinatal disparity.
• Identifying granular mechanisms underlying health disparities.
• Making the economic case for addressing these disparities.
• Testing specific interventions to improve obstetric health equity.

Main Results:

• Social determinants of health are key drivers of perinatal disparities.
• Understanding granular mechanisms is crucial for addressing disparities.
• Economic arguments can support interventions for health equity.

Conclusions:

• Precise measurement of SDOH and perinatal outcomes at multiple levels is prerequisite for disparity research.
• Elucidating precise mechanisms driving obstetric care disparities informs efforts to promote health equity.
• Implementation scientists must rigorously test interventions to mitigate perinatal outcome disparities.