Health Policy Commission’s Post

A new study, “Trends in Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity During Delivery-Related Hospitalizations in the United States, 2008 to 2021," recently published in JAMA, suggests the rate of pregnant women dying of delivery-related causes in the hospital appears to have declined significantly – by more than 50% – across the United States in recent years. But the decrease represents only in-hospital maternal deaths, not the nation’s overall maternal mortality rate, which has been on the rise. Zsakeba Henderson, MD, FACOG, Senior Health Advisor for the National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ), highlights persistent disparities, and a statistically significant increased risk of death for American Indians, Blacks and Asians compared with white patients. “They found that there were certain risks associated with the increases.They noticed that cesarean delivery was a contributor, which is not surprising; the CDC reported on that as well previously. Comorbid conditions – or if they have another condition, if they had high blood pressure or are smokers or drug use – that increased the risk of severe morbidity,” Dr. Henderson said. “But then the other thing is the disparities." Read more: https://cnn.it/3JGeJwC

A new study, “Trends in Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity During Delivery-Related Hospitalizations in the United States, 2008 to 2021," recently published in JAMA, suggests the rate of pregnant women dying of delivery-related causes in the hospital appears to have declined significantly – by more than 50% – across the United States in recent years. But the decrease represents only in-hospital maternal deaths, not the nation’s overall maternal mortality rate, which has been on the rise. Zsakeba Henderson, MD, FACOG, Senior Health Advisor for the National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ), highlights persistent disparities, and a statistically significant increased risk of death for American Indians, Blacks and Asians compared with white patients. “They found that there were certain risks associated with the increases.They noticed that cesarean delivery was a contributor, which is not surprising; the CDC reported on that as well previously. Comorbid conditions – or if they have another condition, if they had high blood pressure or are smokers or drug use – that increased the risk of severe morbidity,” Dr. Henderson said. “But then the other thing is the disparities." Read more: https://cnn.it/3JGeJwC

We need to address the quality of services, up the level of respect, assure care in absence of implicit bias, and have a health system "give a damn" about the lives of mothers. With about half of pregnancies financed by Medicaid, ensuring public coverage pays for what works would help. #maternalhealth #maternalmortality #medicaid #equitymatters

"The U.S. maternal mortality rate is accelerating at an alarming rate, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine. But it’s not due to the widely believed hypothesis that maternal mortality in the U.S. has increased largely because people are getting pregnant at older ages." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gV4FYyCs #HealthcareSimulation #ClinicalSimulation #MedicalSimulation

"The U.S. maternal mortality rate is accelerating at an alarming rate, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine. But it’s not due to the widely believed hypothesis that maternal mortality in the U.S. has increased largely because people are getting pregnant at older ages." Read more: https://lnkd.in/guJ9aXCU #HealthcareSimulation #ClinicalSimulation #MedicalSimulation

The Maternal Near Misses project is amplifying women's lived experiences to understand maternal mortality better. Dr. Natalie Hernandez-Green, leading the Maternal Near Misses project at Morehouse School of Medicine, emphasizes the significance of centering women's lived experiences as essential data sources. By incorporating personal narratives alongside quantitative measures, the project aims to gain a deeper understanding of the complex factors contributing to maternal mortality. Expanding into multiple states and also including accounts from healthcare professionals and families, the project takes a holistic approach to addressing maternal health challenges. By compiling these stories, the project seeks to uncover why preventable conditions persistently threaten women's lives in the U.S. This initiative reflects a broader national effort to combat persistently high maternal mortality rates by examining individual experiences and systemic factors affecting childbirth outcomes. https://lnkd.in/g4cYC5w3

It doesn't seem like the United States should have a maternal mortality problem, but we do. We have had significantly higher mortality rates than other wealthy countries for years, and it's getting worse. In 2021, we had 32.9 deaths per 100,000 In 2020 we had 23.8 deaths per 100,000 In 2019 we had 20.1 deaths per 100,000 From 20%---> 32% represents a 60% increase in 2 years. Why? It is a big, complex topic. I would throw out a guess that the growing maternity care deserts share some of the blame. (Sina Haeri, MD, MHSA, posts updates about this issue. Follow him for more) In our OBGYN practice, we served a region extending hundreds of miles in each direction. In this area, it is not uncommon for patients to drive 2 hours for prenatal appointments. It is hard for patients to justify the trip when "all we are doing" is checking blood pressure, weight, and baby's heartbeat. It is also not uncommon for patients to have no access to a working car. Those maternal deaths? A lot of them are from preventable complications of pregnancy: 📌 High blood pressure 📌 Gestational diabetes 📌 Mental health crises Exactly what we are watching for in those simple, routine visits. Now, the NIH has allocated funding to address the maternal mortality problem. What will the outcome be? I would love to hear your thoughts! #healthcareindustry #womenhealth #maternalmortality https://lnkd.in/gSgjFVTb

Although remarkable progress has been made in the last two decades, maternal mortality is still unacceptably high in the world. Most maternal deaths occur during the first twenty-four hours after childbirth, and postpartum haemorrhage is the main cause of death in this period. Access to, and utilisation of immediate postnatal care could have a significant contribution to the reduction of maternal mortality. Our study showed consistent improvements in immediate postnatal care utilisation in Ethiopia between 2011 and 2019. Despite the progress, the coverage remains low, only reaching one-third of those who need it. More tailored and context-specific efforts across the continuum of maternal health care services are needed to improve the utilisation and quality of postnatal care. Enjoy reading the paper. Many thanks to Lenka Beňová PhD, Tom Smekens, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, and the co-authors (Aline Semaan, Binyam Tilahun, Ph.D., Özge Tunçalp, Diederick (Rick) E. Grobbee, MD, PhD, FESC, and Joyce Browne) https://lnkd.in/ee7aJAc7

Maternal migration background influences infant mortality in extremely preterm births, according to a study in. The findings underscore disparities in healthcare access, impacting neonatal outcomes. More research needed. #HealthDisparities #NeonatalCare https://lnkd.in/eaBHb-NU