What we talk about when we talk about severe maternal morbidity: a call to action to critically review severe maternal morbidity as an outcome measure

Abstract

Severe maternal morbidity has historically functioned as an umbrella term to define major, potentially life-threatening obstetrical, medical, and surgical complications of pregnancy. There is no overarching or consensus definition of the constellation of conditions that have been used variably to define severe maternal morbidity, although it is clear that having a well-honed definition of severe maternal morbidity is important for research, quality improvement, and health policy purposes. Although severe maternal morbidity may ultimately elude a single unifying definition because different features may be relevant depending on context and modality of data acquisition, it is valuable to explore the intellectual frameworks and various applications of severe maternal morbidity in current practice, and to consider the potential benefit of more consolidated terminology for maternal morbidity.

Keywords: epidemiology; public health; quality improvement; research methods; severe maternal morbidity.