Building Capacity to Address Rural Maternal Health Disparities

This project aims to establish a collaborative network representing patients, caregivers, payers, providers, community organizations, policy makers, and advocacy organizations that commit to a collaboration focused on eliminating severe maternal morbidity disparities in underserved, under-resourced rural communities through patient-centered outcomes research/comparative effectiveness research.

Partially Funded by:

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI®)

Funding Amount:

$249,939

Project Duration:

January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024

Project Collaborators:

UPMC Magee Womens Hospital, University of Pittsburgh, Brandeis University

Research Location:

Project activities are being conducted in-person and virtually with individuals who reside in or work with rural communities throughout the United States, with a particular focus on rural communities in Pennsylvania.

Background

A disproportionate rate of severe maternal morbidity impacts perinatal individuals who reside in rural communities. This disparity is a result of many factors including limited access to obstetrical care, social factors, and the high prevalence of chronic conditions. 

Healthcare Challenge

Healthcare systems and policy makers strive to address persistent disparities across perinatal subpopulations, but well-intended efforts are often uncoordinated, and impact is suboptimal or unknown.

Goals

  • Develop an actionable and patient-centered research agenda focused on collaborator and community-informed priorities and research gaps to eliminate rural maternal health disparities

  • Create, convene, and sustain a collaborative Rural Maternal Health Advisory Committee to foster continuous engagement in and monitoring of rural maternal health research endeavors.

Implementation Approach

This project leverages three engagement strategies to engage persons with lived experience and/or vested interested in the topic in the development of the rural maternal health research agenda, and includes:

  • Key informant interviews
  • Creation and convening of a Rural Maternal Health Advisory Committee

This project was funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award EACB-26920. The views, statements, and opinions presented in this webpage are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of PCORI®.