The US and the UK used to have the same rate of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth. Now, Britain’s is almost three times lower. Here’s what they’re doing right.
The key to this well-oiled machine is standardization. It used to be that every obstetrician in the UK had his or her own signature strategy to manage an emergency. In the US, that still sometimes happens. But these days, every British doctor, whether newly qualified or approaching retirement, is required to follow the same guidelines for many aspects of maternity care.