Improved surveillance of maternal deaths

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Maternal Health Surveillance

Background:

• The traditional method for tracking maternal mortality relied solely on death certificates.
• This method may underestimate the true maternal mortality rate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explain and verify an apparent increase in New Jersey's maternal mortality rate.
• To compare the effectiveness of a traditional surveillance method with an expanded one.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a new, expanded surveillance method in late 1974.
• The expanded method involved reviewing hospital reports and following up on individual maternal death reports.
• Compared data from the expanded method with the traditional method using death certificates.

Main Results:

• The maternal mortality rate increased from 1.7 to 3.1 per 10,000 live births with the new method.
• In 1975, the traditional method reported 1.5 deaths per 10,000 live births, while the expanded method reported 3.0.

Conclusions:

• The expanded surveillance method provides a more accurate measure of maternal mortality.
• The apparent increase in maternal mortality reflects improved data collection rather than a true rise.