National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Behavioral Health (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (2)
- Hospitals (3)
- Labor and Delivery (1)
- (-) Maternal Care (7)
- Medicaid (1)
- (-) Mortality (7)
- Newborns/Infants (2)
- Outcomes (2)
- Pregnancy (6)
- Prevention (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Risk (2)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Women (5)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedNeerland C, Slaughter-Acey J, Behrens K
An evidence map for social and structural determinants for maternal morbidity and mortality: a systematic review.
The study aimed to identify social and structural determinants of maternal morbidity and mortality during prenatal and postpartum periods in the U.S. Out of 8,378 references screened, 118 studies were included, covering domains like identity, socioeconomic factors, violence, and trauma. Findings revealed mixed patterns between risk factors and outcomes, with notable attention to depression and mental health. Advancing the field long-term should involve developing comprehensive datasets to thoroughly investigate intersections with biological and medical risk factors.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00008.
Citation: Neerland C, Slaughter-Acey J, Behrens K .
An evidence map for social and structural determinants for maternal morbidity and mortality: a systematic review.
Obstet Gynecol 2024 Mar; 143(3):383-92. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000005489.
Keywords: Social Determinants of Health, Maternal Care, Mortality, Evidence-Based Practice, Risk, Women, Outcomes
Interrante JD, Tuttle MS, Admon LK
Severe maternal morbidity and mortality risk at the intersection of rurality, race and ethnicity, and Medicaid.
Using maternal discharge records from childbirth hospitalizations in the HCUP National Inpatient Sample, 2007-15, researchers examined differences in rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality by rural or urban geography, race and ethnicity, and clinical factors among Medicaid-funded births and privately insured hospital births. The highest rate of severe maternal morbidity and mortality occurred among rural Indigenous Medicaid-funded births; births among Black rural and urban residents and among Hispanic urban residents also experienced elevated rates. The researchers concluded that heightened rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality among Medicaid-funded births indicate an opportunity for state and federal policy responses to address the maternal health challenges faced by Medicaid beneficiaries, including Black, Indigenous, and rural residents
AHRQ-funded; HS027640.
Citation: Interrante JD, Tuttle MS, Admon LK .
Severe maternal morbidity and mortality risk at the intersection of rurality, race and ethnicity, and Medicaid.
Womens Health Issues 2022 Nov-Dec;32(6):540-49. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2022.05.003..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Maternal Care, Women, Pregnancy, Mortality, Risk, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Medicaid
Admon LK, Ford ND, Ko JY
Trends and distribution of in-hospital mortality among pregnant and postpartum individuals by pregnancy period.
The purpose of this study was to examine long-term trends in inpatient death rates among pregnant and postpartum individuals and proportion of deaths by pregnancy period (antenatal, delivery, and postpartum). The researchers examined patterns of inpatient mortality during pregnancy-associated hospitalizations utilizing data from the National Inpatient Sample for 1994 to 2015 and 2017 to 2019. The study found that between 1994 and 2015, among 84,181,338 hospitalizations an estimated 12,654 inpatient deaths occurred among pregnant and postpartum individuals with a mean age of 29.37. Inpatient deaths during delivery hospitalizations decreased from 10.6 deaths per 100 000 delivery hospitalizations to 4.7 deaths per 100 000 delivery hospitalizations between 1994 to 1995 and 2014 to 2015. The rate of inpatient deaths in antenatal and postpartum periods remained unchanged between 1994 to 1995 and 2014 to 2015. The researchers concluded that resources directed toward improving quality of care at obstetric delivery have been associated with decreased rates of severe morbidity and may be associated with decreased mortality, but additional efforts need to be directed toward antenatal and postpartum hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS027640.
Citation: Admon LK, Ford ND, Ko JY .
Trends and distribution of in-hospital mortality among pregnant and postpartum individuals by pregnancy period.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 Jul;5(7):e2224614. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24614..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Maternal Care, Mortality, Pregnancy, Women, Hospitals
Burris HH, Passarella M, Handley SC
Black-white disparities in maternal in-hospital mortality according to teaching and black-serving hospital status.
This study’s objective was to determine whether black-white disparities in maternal in-hospital mortality during delivery vary across hospital types (black-serving vs non-black and teaching vs non-teaching) and whether overall maternal mortality differs across hospital types. The authors performed a population-based, retrospective cohort study of 5,679,044 deliveries among black (14.2%) and white patients (85.8%) in 3 states (California, Missouri, and Pennsylvania) from 1995 to 2009. Examination of black-white disparities found that after risk adjustment, black patients had significantly greater risk of death and that the disparity was similar within each of the hospital types. At teaching hospitals, mortality was similar in black-serving and nonblack-serving hospitals. Among non-teaching hospitals, mortality was significantly higher in black-serving vs nonblack-serving hospitals. Over half (53%) of black patients delivered in nonteaching black-serving hospitals compared with just 19% of white patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS018661.
Citation: Burris HH, Passarella M, Handley SC .
Black-white disparities in maternal in-hospital mortality according to teaching and black-serving hospital status.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2021 Jul;225(1):83.e1-83.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.01.004..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Mortality, Women, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Hospitals
Vanderlaan J, Rochat R, Williams B
Associations between hospital maternal service level and delivery outcomes.
This study explored the associations between delivery hospital self-reported level of maternal service, as defined by the American Hospital Association, and both maternal and neonatal outcomes among women at high maternal risk, as defined by the Obstetric Comorbidity Index. The investigators concluded that for the group of pregnant women in need of maternal transfer, delivery hospital self-reported level of maternal care was not associated with the odds of poor maternal or neonatal outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS024655.
Citation: Vanderlaan J, Rochat R, Williams B .
Associations between hospital maternal service level and delivery outcomes.
Womens Health Issues 2019 May - Jun;29(3):252-58. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2019.02.004..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Labor and Delivery, Pregnancy, Women, Outcomes, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Newborns/Infants, Mortality
Haley CA, Brault MA, Mwinga K
Promoting progress in child survival across four African countries: the role of strong health governance and leadership in maternal, neonatal and child health.
The researchers conducted four individual case studies concerning the World Health Organization's African Region Millennium Development Goal #4 (MDG#4) to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. They found that strong health governance and leadership (HGL) was a significant driver of the greater success in Liberia and Zambia compared with Kenya and Zimbabwe. Three aspects of HGL which most consistently contributed to the different progress towards MDG#4 among the four study countries were identified. Although child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa remains high, the authors concluded that comparative study suggests key HGL factors that can facilitate the reduction of child mortality and may prove useful in tackling current Sustainable Development Goals.
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Haley CA, Brault MA, Mwinga K .
Promoting progress in child survival across four African countries: the role of strong health governance and leadership in maternal, neonatal and child health.
Health Policy Plan 2019 Feb 1;34(1):24-36. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czy105..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Maternal Care, Mortality, Newborns/Infants, Pregnancy
Metz TD, Rovner P, Hoffman MC
Maternal deaths from suicide and overdose in Colorado, 2004-2012.
This study ascertained demographic and clinical characteristics of maternal deaths from self-harm (accidental overdose or suicide) and to identify opportunities for prevention. It found that in seventeen percent (n=10) of maternal deaths there had been a known substance use disorder. Prior psychiatric diagnoses were documented in 54 percent (n=32) and prior suicide attempts in 10 percent (n=6).
AHRQ-funded; HS022143.
Citation: Metz TD, Rovner P, Hoffman MC .
Maternal deaths from suicide and overdose in Colorado, 2004-2012.
Obstet Gynecol 2016 Dec;128(6):1233-40. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000001695.
.
.
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Pregnancy, Prevention, Maternal Care, Mortality