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Review
. 2021 Feb;30(2):265-269.
doi: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8878. Epub 2020 Nov 23.

Enhancing Obstetric Safety Through Best Practices

Catherine Squire Eppes  1 , Sacha B Han  2 , Alison J Haddock  3 , A Gretchen Buckler  4 , Christina M Davidson  1 , Lisa M Hollier  1
Affiliations
Review

Enhancing Obstetric Safety Through Best Practices

Catherine Squire Eppes et al. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2021 Feb.

Abstract

The pregnancy-related mortality rate in the US exceeds that of other developed nations and is marked by significant disparities in outcome by race. This article reviews the evidence supporting the implementation of a variety of best practices designed to reduce maternal mortality. Evidence from maternal mortality review committees suggests that delays in diagnosis, delays in initiation of treatment and use of ineffective treatments contribute to preventable cases of maternal death. We review several protocols for maternal warning signs that have been used successfully to facilitate early identification and intervention. Care bundles, a collection of best practices, have been developed and implemented to address several maternal emergencies. We review the evidence that supports reduction in adverse outcomes with consistent implementation of obstetric hemorrhage and severe hypertension bundles in a collaborative, team-based setting. The article concludes with suggestions for the future.

Keywords: MEWT; maternal mortality; obstetric care bundle; obstetric safety; severe maternal morbidity.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have met authorship criteria for this article, including all authors who contributed to the writing and editing of this article.

References

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