Morbidity and mortality in pregnancy: laying the groundwork for safe motherhood
- PMID: 16920522
- DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2006.06.003
Morbidity and mortality in pregnancy: laying the groundwork for safe motherhood
Abstract
The Safe Motherhood Initiative is a global effort to reduce deaths and illnesses among women and infants. Despite the relatively low maternal mortality rate in the United States, ensuring safe motherhood is still critical. For several reasons, it is important to study maternal mortality and morbidity. First, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio has not declined; second, evidence suggests that at least half of pregnancy-related deaths may be preventable through changes in patient, provider, or system factors; and third, mortality rates are disproportionately high among certain racial and ethnic groups. In addition, deaths are only the tip of the iceberg: maternal morbidity also represents a huge burden of disease for women and their families. Broadening the research focus and prevention efforts to include the study of maternal morbidity, especially near-miss morbidity-life-threatening morbidity-can strengthen the study of maternal death. This paper presents an overview of maternal mortality and morbidity including incidence and etiology, issues and challenges for measurement, and issues of preventability. We also address specific strategies for change for health care providers, federal and state health agencies, and the public health community.
Similar articles
-
Achieving safe motherhood: applying a life course and multiple determinants perinatal health framework in public health.Womens Health Issues. 2006 Jul-Aug;16(4):159-75. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2006.02.006. Womens Health Issues. 2006. PMID: 16920521
-
Promoting safe motherhood in the community: the case for strategies that include men.Afr J Reprod Health. 2001 Aug;5(2):10-21. Afr J Reprod Health. 2001. PMID: 12471909
-
The continuum of maternal morbidity and mortality: factors associated with severity.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Sep;191(3):939-44. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2004.05.099. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004. PMID: 15467568
-
The paradox of obstetric "near misses": converting maternal mortality into morbidity.Int J Fertil Womens Med. 2007 Mar-Jun;52(2-3):121-7. Int J Fertil Womens Med. 2007. PMID: 18320871 Review.
-
[Pregnancy and delivery in western Africa. High risk motherhood].Sante Publique. 1999 Jun;11(2):155-65. Sante Publique. 1999. PMID: 10504833 Review. French.
Cited by
-
Factors associated with men's involvement in antenatal care visits in Asmara, Eritrea: Community-based survey.PLoS One. 2023 Oct 19;18(10):e0287643. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287643. eCollection 2023. PLoS One. 2023. PMID: 37856465 Free PMC article.
-
Race and Ethnicity Misclassification in Hospital Discharge Data and the Impact on Differences in Severe Maternal Morbidity Rates in Florida.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Apr 30;20(9):5689. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20095689. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37174207 Free PMC article.
-
Racial disparities in care escalation for postpartum hemorrhage requiring transfusion.Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023 Jun;5(6):100938. doi: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.100938. Epub 2023 Mar 21. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023. PMID: 36948294 Free PMC article.
-
Severe Maternal Morbidity in Georgia, 2009-2020.Med Care. 2023 May 1;61(5):258-267. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001819. Epub 2023 Jan 11. Med Care. 2023. PMID: 36638324 Free PMC article.
-
Associated Factors of Male Participation in Antenatal Care in Muaro Jambi District, Indonesia.J Pregnancy. 2022 May 18;2022:6842278. doi: 10.1155/2022/6842278. eCollection 2022. J Pregnancy. 2022. PMID: 35646397 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
