title: The maternal early warning criteria: a proposal from the national partnership for maternal safety.
abstract: Case reviews of maternal death have revealed a concerning pattern of delay in recognition of hemorrhage, hypertensive crisis, sepsis, venous thromboembolism, and heart failure. Early-warning systems have been proposed to facilitate timely recognition, diagnosis, and treatment for women developing critical illness. A multidisciplinary working group convened by the National Partnership for Maternal Safety used a consensus-based approach to define The Maternal Early Warning Criteria, a list of abnormal parameters that indicate the need for urgent bedside evaluation by a clinician with the capacity to escalate care as necessary in order to pursue diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. This commentary reviews the evidence supporting the use of early-warning systems, describes The Maternal Early Warning Criteria, and provides considerations for local implementation.
authors.forename: Jill M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mhyre
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: D'Oria
authors.forename: Afshan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hameed
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lappen
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Holley
authors.forename: Stephen K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Robin L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: D'Alton
mesh_terms: D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D061345:Early Medical Intervention / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D063130:Maternal Death / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D061665:Time-to-Treatment / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States