title: Pregnancy-associated mortality review: the Florida experience.
abstract: At the beginning of the 20th century, maternal mortality was a leading cause of death for women of reproductive age in the United States. Obstetrical care was not standardized, and there was a lack of universal systems for monitoring maternal deaths. Public health efforts of surveillance, along with advances in medicine and sanitation, resulted in a significant decrease in maternal deaths by the early 1980s. Today, maternal death is considered to be a rare event; however, the rates of maternal mortality have not improved in almost 3 decades. There is growing evidence that many maternal deaths can still be prevented through enhanced surveillance that influences improvements in overall health and delivery of care. This paper describes the experience of establishing and maintaining a pregnancy-associated mortality surveillance system in Florida. Emphasis is placed on the process and importance of a statewide review and the value of engagement with the medical community.
authors.affiliation: Infant, Maternal and Reproductive Health Unit, Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1723, USA. Deborah_Burch@doh.state.fl.us
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burch
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Noell
authors.forename: Washington C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delke
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D008428:Maternal Mortality / Q000639:trends; D008485:Medical Audit; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance