Maternal Mortality in the US

Maternal mortality is one of the key metrics used to assess healthcare quality in a country. The US has lagged considerably when compared to other countries when examining maternal mortality reduction. The US is not on track to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of 10% reduction in maternal mortality between 2007 and 2020. The maternal mortality rate in the United States was 26 deaths per 100,000 live births. Considering that 99% of all live births are performed by skilled health care professionals, this is an astonishingly high number. There are racial disparities when looking at maternal mortalities as African American women are three to four times as likely to die during child birth than their Caucasian counterparts. As the UN defines health and well-being for each person and their family a human right, racial disparities in maternal healthcare is depriving social classes from human rights.

One of the major reasons why there is little decline of maternal mortality is the lack of infrastructure. 23 of the 50 states have maternal mortality review boards, which are used to let physicians and state boards know how to decrease the preventable maternal mortalities. One way to reduce maternal mortalities is to reduce the amount of caesarian sections as they are at the highest risk to cause maternal mortality. The WHO looks to reduce the number of C-sections worldwide as part of one of their new guidelines. Another new idea to reduce maternal mortality is looking at emergency simulations so health care staff is more prepared to handle situations that could lead to mortality.