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Earlier this month a paper was published in The Lancet, "Global, regional, and national levels and causes of maternal mortality during 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013" that used statistical methods to estimate the number of maternal deaths from all causes in 188 countries between 1990 and 2013. (For comprehensive definitions of maternal mortality ratios as defined by different agencies, please see this link.)

While many countries experienced a decline in the maternal mortality ratio during the studied time period, the United States experienced a disturbing increase. The U.S. was one of only eight countries to document an increase in maternal mortality in the past ten years. Our current world ranking for maternal mortality is 60 out of 180 on the ranking list. As a nation, we have lost considerable ground in the past 25 years. Women in the USA are more than twice as likely to die as a result of a pregnancy or birth as mothers in Western Europe.

Researchers looking at the data estimate that 18.5 mothers died for every 100,000 births in the U.S. in 2013, a total of almost 800 deaths a year. The reasons for these dismal numbers in the U.S are not clear. Suggestions of inaccuracies in reporting, more mothers experiencing hypertension or diabetes during pregnancy, or women becoming pregnant who had serious preexisting health conditions, who in another time, might not have survived to become pregnant themselves are all suspected as contributing to our rate.

The National Partnership for Maternal Safety has been formed and is a multidisciplinary initiative focused on reducing the rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. This partnership falls under the umbrella of The Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care. This unique consortium of organizations across the spectrum of women's health who have come together to promote safe health care for every woman.The Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care is sponsoring a Safety Action Series and the first one is to be kicked off this Tuesday, May 20, 2014. with a free teleconference at 11 AM EST, and all are invited to register.The purpose of this first session is to share details of the National Partnership for Maternal Safety. Debra Bingham, DrPH, RN, Vice President of Research, Education and Publications at the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric & Neonatal Nurses and Vice Chair of the Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care and Mary D'Alton, M.D., FACOG, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.The session will include:

• An overview of the purpose, composition, and goals of the Partnership
• A look at how the activities of the Partnership align with national efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
• A summary of the future activities and deliverables of the Partnership.
• Including a focus on obstetric hemorrhage, hypertension in pregnancy, and venous thromboembolism.
• Supplemental materials on maternal early warning criteria (triggers); patient, staff, and family support, and severe maternal morbidity review and reporting.
• An open Q&A session with Drs. Bingham and D'Alton.

Lamaze International Board Member Christine Morton, PhD attended The National Partnership for Maternal Safety meeting at the recent ACOG conference in Chicago, along with Lamaze President Elect Robin Weiss, MPH. Dr. Morton will summarize the meeting and share her takeaways on the multistakeholder consensus efforts to reduce maternal mortality in a follow up post later this week.

In the meantime, will you consider participating in the first Safety Action Series scheduled for May 20th and learn more about what we are doing as a nation to improve outcomes for pregnant and birthing women in the U.S.A. Register now for this free teleconference.

References

Berg CJ, Callaghan WM, Syverson C, et al., Pregnancy-related mortality in the United States, 1998 to 2005. Obstet Gynecol 2010; 116: 1302-9.

Kassebaum, N. J., Bertozzi-Villa, A., Coggeshall, M. S., Shackelford, K. A., Steiner, C., Heuton, K. R., ... & Basu, A. (2014). Global, regional, and national levels and causes of maternal mortality during 19902013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet.

Trends in Maternal Mortality, 1990-2010, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and The World Bank Estimates available at http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2012/Trends_in_maternal_mortality_A4-1.pdf.

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