| The Current State of Maternity Care and Suggestions for Improvement in the Management of High-risk Pregnancies in South Korea |
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Tae Gyu Ahn1, Taeyeon Kim2, Yeonjin Kim2, Jong Yun Hwang2 |
1Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea
2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea |
| 고위험 임산부 치료 인프라 현황 및 개선방안 |
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안태규1, 김태연2, 김연진2, 황종윤2 |
1강원대학교병원
2강원대학교 의학전문대학원 산부인과학교실 |
Correspondence:
Jong Yun Hwang,
Email: rapidhwang@kangwon.ac.kr
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| Abstract |
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Since the year 2000, low birth rates have resulted in significant decreases to maternity care services throughout many Korean hospitals. However, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of high-risk pregnancies, due to growing trends in delayed marriages and subsequent pregnancies. Increased maternal age is a risk factor associated with complicated pregnancies and high-risk deliveries, both of which are strongly related to maternal death. With this in mind, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has supported the establishment of a regional perinatal center for high-risk pregnancies, estimated to be be fully completed by the year 2020. Despite this, maternity care services for high-risk pregnancies remain insufficient. According to previous reports, the total number of maternity care hospitals and beds available for high-risk pregnant women were 60 and 399, respectively. This is in stark contrast to previous bed estimates of 1,640. The establishment of a maternity care system for high- risk pregnant women is integral to ensuring optimal conditions for both pregnancy and childbirth. This review briefly evaluates the existing maternity care system for high-risk pregnancies, and proposes several new suggestions for improvements. |
| Key Words:
safe childbirth, obstetricians, high-risk pregnancy, maternity care system |
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