Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-232) and index.
Summary
Examines the exponential increase in the United States of the most technological form of birth that exists -- the cesarean section -- and challenges most existing explanations of this unprecedented rise, arguing that there is a new culture within medicine that avoids risk or unpredictable outcomes and instead embraces planning and conservative choices, all in an effort to have perfect births.
Contents
The Root of the Problem. The liability threat in obstetrics. -- Control Systems Embedded in Hospitals. The tyranny of the rules ; Too much information: how technology raises the stakes. -- The Effects of Organizational Constraints. The big kahuna: repeat c-sections ; Women's lack of choice in labor and birth. -- A roadmap for change.
