News Release

C-sections are cost-effective way to improve maternal outcomes in developing countries

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

Investing in C-sections could be a cost-effective way to improve outcomes for difficult deliveries in developing countries, reports a study published Apr. 18 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

Developing countries account for 99% of maternal deaths, and it is important to implement a cost-effective method to decrease these numbers. The authors of the current study, led by John Meara of Harvard Medical School, used an economic model to determine that C-sections would be "highly cost-effective" for 48 of the 49 countries included in the study, and that investment in C-sections is a viable economic possibility in 46 of the countries based on the calculated benefit-cost ratio.

Therefore, they argue that C-sections are necessary and ultimately economically favorable in the vast majority of countries included in the study, and implementation could have a very positive effect on maternal outcomes.

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Citation: Alkire BC, Vincent JR, Burns CT, Metzler IS, Farmer PE, et al. (2012) Obstructed Labor and Caesarean Delivery: The Cost and Benefit of Surgical Intervention. PLoS ONE 7(4): e34595. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0034595

Financial Disclosure: The authors have no support or funding to report. Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

PLEASE LINK TO THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT (URL goes live after the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034595

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