[Recommendations to improve quality of obstetrics care]

The maternal care represents 50 percent of surgical and medical interventions in México. Around 80% of the maternal deaths are foreseeable with actions as risk-managed prenatal care. Prevention of these complications are difficult and require of a competent obstetrician to handle them appropriate. Some assays calculate about 46.4% of maternal deaths, as related to professional responsibility, and 9.7% with hospital responsibility. In México, obstetric malpractice complaints are the most frequent, and reached 14.5% of total matters received by the National Commission of Medical Arbitration (CONAMED) between 1996 and 2001. We analyzed 121 cases concluded, specifically obstetrics-related, requested to the Commission between 1996 and 2001, to identify moments and factors of the medical attention, linked to obstetric claims. Most prominent finds were: high risk pregnancies in 57%, prior cesarean section 22%, hospital income by labor in 28%. Complications were fetal death 25%, obstetric trauma and perinatal asphyxia 12% each one. Births ocurred by cesarean in 37%. Perinatal mortality was 39% and maternal mortality in 33%. The principal deviation was deficient care of labor. They were observed medical patient communication deficiencies in 76%, incomplete expedients in 45%, ethics deviations in 30%, and malpractice in 55%. Whole this information was presented to gynaecologist leaders of opinion: speciality Council, medical associations, public and private hospitals representatives. The conclusion were Nine recommendations to improve the patients care during the pregnancy, labor and postpartum: 1) Pregnancy, labor and postpartum should be attended by personnel qualified and properly authorized; 2) Value integrally each case during the prenatal care and identify high risk patients; 3) Tighten the prenatal care during the third quarter of the gestation; 4) Provide the best obstetric care; 5) Establish best way for each birth; 6) Reduce unnecessary risks; 7) Watch narrowly all patients during the immediate postpartum; 8) Document all the process of attention; 9) Promote and facilitate health education to pregnant patients and their relatives on the gestation inherent risks.