[Description and prevention of maternity claims]

Quantify and describe the reasons for complaints in maternity, then identify patients at risk of complaining.

Retrospective observational study of complaints relating to medical or nursing care, then case-control study (one case, two consecutive unmatched controls). Demographic, maternal, obstetric and postpartum characteristics were compared using univariate and then multivariate analysis.

Between 2018 and 2022, 26,049 patients gave birth at the Port-Royal maternity ward. Among them, 50 (2‰) complained to the patients' rights department and were compared to 100 controls. The three main reasons for complaints were a lack of information (58%), an incorrect attitude of professionals (44%) and medical care considered unsuitable (30%). In univariate analysis, the risk factors for complaints were psychological or psychiatric background (20 vs. 7%, P=0.02), twinning (16 vs. 3%, P=0.01), the occurrence of a fetal pathology (20% 6%, P=0.01), duration of labor≥12hours (30 vs. 16%, P=0.04), and hospitalization of the child in neonatology (18 vs. 5%, P=0.01). In multivariate analysis, twinning (OR 95% CI 4.74 [0.97-23.23]) and duration of work≥12hours (OR 95% CI 2.45 [0.96-6.27]) were associated with a non-significant increase in complaints.

These results reveal areas for improvement in the care of maternity patients in general, and in certain at-risk patients more specifically.