title: The cultural environment behind successful maternal death and morbidity reviews.
abstract: This paper discusses some of the background principles which, through wide experience of instituting reviews of maternal deaths or near-misses around the world, appear common to their successful introduction. A supportive culture at personal, institutional and national level underpinned by the fostering of professionalism and the development of an ethos of safety against a wider supportive environment is needed. Reviews undertaken at a local level are as beneficial as those at a regional or population level and should be encouraged as a routine part of the quality improvement agenda for each and every healthcare facility.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D063130:Maternal Death; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D008485:Medical Audit; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000401:mortality; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D058996:Quality Improvement
keywords: Facility-based death review; maternal death or near-miss review; maternal morbidity; maternal mortality; professionalism