Health Disparities on the Labor Floor

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) defines a disparity as a difference or a gap that exist between two groups, which is both statistically significant, larger than 10%, and indicates poor quality for the minority (non-referent) group. Despite advances in public health initiatives and medicine, disparities in healthcare are persistent. For example, in the United States, maternal mortality ratio has doubled since 1987 to 2009 where African American women were 4 times as likely to die from childbirth. Although there was no observed racial disparity in maternal deaths at University of Alabama Birmingham, there is anecdotal experience that may suggest health disparities do exist on the labor floor when examining neuraxial utilization and effectiveness. This retrospective study will seek to examine the successful extension of labor analgesia for cesarean section as it relates to insurance status.