Maternity Care

Prenatal care is a preventive service intended to identify and manage risk factors in pregnant women and their unborn children in order to improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Prenatal care is recommended during the first trimester and throughout pregnancy. Obstetric trauma is a Patient Safety Indicator that measures injury'primarily third and fourth degree lacerations'to the mother during delivery. It is tracked for vaginal deliveries with and without use of instruments.

Figure 2.15. Percent of women who delivered live births and who received prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy, 2000 and 2001

[D]

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System-Natality, 2000 and 2001.

Figure 2.16. Obstetric trauma rate per 100 vaginal deliveries, with and without instruments, 2000 and 2001

[D]

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2000 and 2001.

• In 2001, 83% of pregnant women received early prenatal care, remaining at the same high level as 2000 (Figure 2.15).
• The rates of obstetric trauma remained at about 8% for women delivering vaginally without instrument assistance and 24% for women with instrument-assisted vaginal deliveries (Figure 2.16).

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