Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Author Spotlight: Modeling an Aspect of Preeclampsia in Female Mice Using Hypoxic Human Placenta-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: January 26, 2024
Inequalities in Severe Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in High-Income Countries: Patterns, Drivers, and Pathways to
Nicola Vousden1, Elie Azria, Dorothea Geddes-Barton
1National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, and Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; and Université Paris Cité et Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, INRAE, Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Obstetric Perinatal and Pediatric Life Course Epidemiology (OPPaLE), iWISH, and Maternité Hôpital Paris Saint Joseph, FHU Prem'Impact, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Inequalities in severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and mortality in high-income countries are persistent, socially patterned, and evident across multiple dimensions, including socioeconomic deprivation, race and ethnicity, and migration status. These inequalities are not fully explained by individual clinical risk factors but arise from the interaction of structural disadvantage, intermediate social conditions, and health systems. Many determinants of risk are established before pregnancy; however, variation in access to care, quality of care, and responsiveness to symptoms during pregnancy and childbirth can either mitigate or exacerbate vulnerability. Identifying social and structural determinants, ensuring equitable access to care, providing culturally responsive care, and promoting timely, unbiased clinical decision making are essential components of clinician efforts to reduce inequalities in SMM and mortality.
Related Concept Videos
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
Teratogenicity
Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
Mitral Valve Prolapse III: Nursing Management
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational

