Obstetric care in rural critical access hospitals: A domestic application of the World Health Organization Emergency Obstetric Care framework in rural communities

Significant work must be done to bring CAHs up to a level of readiness where they can safely and effectively screen, stabilize, and transfer or accept an obstetric emergency. The WHO EmOC framework can provide a starting point for assessing the capacity of hospitals without obstetric units, but a standardized assessment, such as LOCATe, should be developed to improve readiness for obstetric emergencies.