Disparities in Maternal Morbidity as a Function of Hospital Quality

In a New York City study, severe maternal morbidity was more prevalent among Hispanic than non-Hispanic white mothers, partly because of quality differences among hospitals.

To develop interventions for eliminating racial and ethnic inequalities in obstetric care and outcomes, we must first understand how such discrepancies arise. Investigators in New York City examined disparities in severe maternal morbidity (e.g., eclampsia, sepsis, blood transfusion) between Hispanic women and non-Hispanic white women by exploring risk-adjusted morbidity rates across hospitals as a possible mediator of this disparity.

From 2011 to 2013, non-Hispanic white women made up 31% of New York's delivery population and had severe maternal morbidity rates of 1.5%. Hispanic women accounted for 30% of births; the rate of severe maternal morbidity was 2.7% overall (P<0.001) but as high as 3.3% among foreign-born Mexican women. A comparis…

Reviewing Author

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Board of Directors)

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Board of Directors)

Disparities in Maternal Morbidity as a Function of Hospital Quality

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Reviewing Author