Investing in Postpartum Impact.
A robust measurement of maternal health outcomes should fulfill several key criteria:
1. Clinical relevance
2. Accuracy in identifying genuine cases
3. Consistency across various healthcare settings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has established a widely used definition based on 21 indicators, comprising 16 diagnoses and 5 procedures, identified through diagnostic codes assigned during childbirth. This CDC measure offers the benefit of easy application to hospital discharge data, both at local and national levels.
However, it has a significant limitation: it may fail to capture health issues or complications that emerge after the initial hospitalization for childbirth.
The CDC has identified 21 indicators used measure of severe maternal morbidity.
Learn more by clicking CDC