Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Sepsis

To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from sepsis by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee.

Qualitative descriptive design using thematic analysis.

A total of 118 QIOs identified from 27 cases of pregnancy-related deaths from sepsis in California from 2002 to 2007.

We coded and thematically organized the 118 QIOs using three of the four domains commonly applied in quality improvement initiatives for maternal health care: Readiness, Recognition, and Response. Data did not include reporting issues, so the Reporting domain was excluded from the analysis.

Women's delay in seeking care was the central theme in the Readiness domain. In the Recognition domain, health care providers missed the signs and symptoms of sepsis, including elevated temperature, elevated white blood cell count, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, mottled skin, preterm labor, headache, and pain. For Response, late antibiotic administration was a central theme; multiple emergent themes included administration of the wrong antibiotics, failure to investigate women's complaints of pain, lack of nurse/provider communication, and lack of follow-up care after hospital discharge.

To reverse the contribution of sepsis to the rising rate of maternal mortality in the United States, health care facilities and providers need to reduce barriers for women who seek care, recognize early symptoms, and respond with appropriate treatment. This could be achieved by implementation of the Maternal Early Warning Criteria, standardized guidelines such as those from the Surviving Sepsis campaign, and comprehensive discharge education.