Racism and Inequities in Maternal Health.

Racial inequities in maternal care persist despite decades of enhanced focus on understanding why they exist. Anesthesiologists are ideally positioned to influence Black women's and birthing people's care through their near-ubiquitous presence in many labor and delivery environments. Through intentionally addressing drivers of increased maternal morbidity and mortality, such as inequities in labor analgesia and anesthesia and postpartum pain management, anesthesiologists have a powerful role in changing lives.

The Generalizability of Patients' Preferences and Concerns regarding Anesthesia Care for Cesarean Delivery: A Prospective Survey.

Background: False assumptions regarding the generalizability of patients' expectations and preferences across different demographic groups may contribute in part to the increased prevalence of negative peripartum outcomes seen among women of color. The intention of this study was to determine preferences and concerns regarding anesthesia care during cesarean delivery in a largely African-American population and to compare them to those obtained in a prior study conducted in a demographically distinct population.

Methods: Women presenting for scheduled cesarean delivery or induction of labor completed a preoperative survey requesting demographic information and the opportunity to rank ten common potential anesthetic outcomes in relation to each other from most to least desirable.

Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Pregnancy-Related Morbidity and Mortality.

Racism in America has deep roots that impact maternal health, particularly through pervasive inequities among Black women as compared with White, although other racial and ethnic groups also suffer. Health care providers caring for pregnant women are optimally positioned to maintain vigilance for these disparities in maternal care, and to intervene with their diverse skillsets and knowledge. By increasing awareness of how structural racism drives inequities in health, these providers can encourage hospitals and practices to develop and implement national bundles for patient safety, and use bias training and team-based training practices aimed at improving care for racially diverse mothers.

Racial Differences in Pregnancy-Related Morbidity and Mortality.

Racism in the United States has deep roots that affect maternal health, particularly through pervasive inequalities among black women compared with white. Anesthesiologists are optimally positioned to maintain vigilance for these disparities in maternal care, and to intervene with their unique acute critical care skills and knowledge. As leaders in patient safety, anesthesiologists should drive hospitals and practices to develop and implement national bundles for patient safety, as well as using team-based training practices designed to improve hospitals that care for racially diverse mothers.