NHS'S NUMBERS DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY

NHS'S NUMBERS DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY

IN RESPONSE TO the letter, "Centre of excellence model necessary for improved care," submitted by the Niagara Health System, the NHS cites study findings indicating "the lower the number of deliveries in an obstetrical unit, the higher the risk for mother and baby."

Working by half-measures, the NHS does not indicate whether these studies found a cause and effect, or merely a coincidental relationship.

A commentary in the International Journal of Epidemiology on one of those studies suggests caution is needed. "Geographical access to delivery services needs to be considered ... in smaller urban, semi-rural, and rural areas this could cause considerable added travel to reach delivery hospitals, which could adversely affect outcomes."

This peer review also advises that even if the study results can be replicated, "Any efforts to concentrate low-risk deliveries should first be tried in the most densely populated urban areas where it is most feasible."

The review calls for "studies to see if the actual gains match the expected gains, and to measure the costs or savings of such a policy."

The NHS cites numbers that refer only to hospital births, and do not include at-home births under the supervision of midwives. The actual number of births per NHS site service area, therefore, is larger. Are minutes not precious should a problem arise during an at-home birth?

Disease outbreaks on maternity/ neonatal wards, controllable only by ward closure, are not unknown. What if there was just one maternity/neonatal ward for all of Niagara, and disease outbreak forced a closure? Where would Niagara patients go?

By the NHS staff's own admission, having an "appropriate transportation infrastructure" in place (which this region does not) is "absolutely central to every element of this plan." The NHS is trying to balance its budget on the backs of the area municipalities (to which it is looking to pony up the costs of providing the "absolutely critical" transportation infrastructure) and on the backs of the region's families, who will be expected to cover their transportation costs to other NHS sites.

"Improved care" is a red herring - and would be, to many, a false promise. Janice Wing Councillor,

City of Niagara Falls

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1146249

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啥呀这是，咋都是英文呢？？