Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Cardiovascular Disease.

Objective: To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review committee.

Design: Qualitative descriptive design using thematic analysis.

Sample: A total of 269 QIOs identified from 87 pregnancy-related deaths from CVD in California from 2002 to 2007.

Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Venous Thromboembolism.

Objective: To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from venous thromboembolism (VTE) by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee.

Design: Qualitative, descriptive design using thematic analysis.

Sample: A total of 108 QIOs identified from 29 cases of pregnancy-related deaths from VTE in California from 2002 to 2007.

Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Obstetric Hemorrhage.

Objective: To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from obstetric hemorrhage by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee.

Design: Qualitative descriptive using thematic analysis.

Sample: A total of 159 QIOs identified from 33 cases of pregnancy-related deaths from obstetric hemorrhage in California from 2002 to 2007.

Translating Maternal Mortality Review Into Quality Improvement Opportunities in Response to Pregnancy-Related Deaths in California.

Objective: To describe quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) associated with the five leading causes of pregnancy-related death in California and the methods by which the QIOs were collected by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review committee.

Design: Qualitative, descriptive design using thematic analysis.

Sample: A total of 907 QIOs identified from 203 cases of pregnancy-related deaths from cardiovascular disease, preeclampsia/eclampsia, hemorrhage, venous thromboembolism, and sepsis that occurred in California from 2002 to 2007.

Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Preeclampsia/Eclampsia.

Objective: To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from preeclampsia/eclampsia by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee.

Design: Qualitative descriptive design using thematic analysis.

Sample: A total of 242 QIOs identified from 54 cases of pregnancy-related deaths from preeclampsia/eclampsia in California between 2002 and 2007.

Quality Improvement Opportunities Identified Through Case Review of Pregnancy-Related Deaths From Sepsis.

Objective: To analyze quality improvement opportunities (QIOs) identified through review of cases of maternal death from sepsis by the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Committee.

Design: Qualitative descriptive design using thematic analysis.

Sample: A total of 118 QIOs identified from 27 cases of pregnancy-related deaths from sepsis in California from 2002 to 2007.

Risk-Appropriate Care to Improve Practice and Birth Outcomes.

Identification and referral of women with high-risk pregnancies to hospitals better equipped and staffed to provide care for them have been important steps to improve birth outcomes. Based on recent recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine to provide regionalized maternal care for pregnant women at high risk and reduce rates of maternal morbidity and mortality, health care organizations and providers have refocused their attention to women's well-being rather than solely on the well-being of the fetus or newborn. Opportunities to improve practice and birth outcomes exist through the implementation of a more standardized and integrated system of risk-appropriate care.

Maternal risk during pregnancy: a concept analysis.

Aims And Objectives: To report an analysis of the concept of maternal risk and explore implications for practice using Walker and Avant's eight step method analysis.

Background: Although mortality during pregnancy is a relatively rare occurrence, serious maternal morbidities are increasingly present in today's pregnant population. Risk factors have been identified that increase the potential for morbidities and subsequent care modalities have been implemented to decrease this risk.