Publication: The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert
Date: 1/25/2010
Authors: The Joint Commission
Abstract: The goal of all labor and delivery units is a safe birth for both the newborn and mother. As a previous Alert reviewed the causes of death and injury among newborns with normal birth weight and suggested risk reduction strategies, this Alert addresses the loss of mothers. Unfortunately, current trends and evidence suggest that maternal mortality rates may be increasing in the U.S., despite the rarity of the incidence of maternal death: deaths that occur within 42 days of birth or termination of pregnancy. Since 1996, a total of 84 cases of maternal death have been reported to The Joint Commission’s sentinel event database, with the largest numbers of events reported in2004, 2005 and 2006. According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006, the national maternal mortality rate was 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
