Improved Assessment: The Path to Better Maternal Outcomes in Missouri.

Abstract

Maternal Mortality Review Committees are one of the methods employed to measure and address the problem of pregnancy-related death. Reviewing Missouri cases from 2017-2020, 79% of the cases where failure to screen or provide an adequate risk assessment by a health care provider were identified in a pregnancy-related death were determined to be preventable. Recommendations for improvement most commonly addressed issues with assessment of mental health conditions, substance use disorder (SUD), intimate partner violence (IPV), and cardiovascular disease. Although limited, these findings indicate an opportunity for providers to lower the state of Missouri's pregnancy-related mortality ratio.