Improving hospital quality to reduce disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality

Significant racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality exist in the United States. Black women are 3 –4 times more likely to die a pregnancy-related death as compared with white women. Growing research suggests that hospital quality may be a critical lever for improving outcomes and narrowing disparities. This overview reviews the evidence demonstrating that hospital quality is related to materna l mortality and morbidity, discusses the pathways through which these associations between quality and severe maternal morbidity generate disparities, and concludes with a discussion of possible levers for action to reduce disparities by improving hospital quality.

Source: Seminars in Perinatology - July 20, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Elizabeth A. Howell, Jennifer Zeitlin Source Type: research