Emergency Care Use During Pregnancy and Severe Maternal Morbidity.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Pregnant individuals who repeatedly use emergency care during pregnancy represent a population who could be disproportionately vulnerable to harm, including severe maternal morbidity (SMM).

Objective

To explore patterns of unscheduled care visits during pregnancy and ascertain its association with SMM at the time of birth.

Design, setting, and participants

This cohort study used data from a statewide database that linked hospital records to births and fetal deaths occurring between October 1, 2002, and March 31, 2020, in Massachusetts. Pregnant individuals experiencing births or fetal deaths during the study period were included. Data analysis was conducted from June 2022 to September 2024.

Exposure

The exposure was 4 or more cases of emergency use,

SUBMITTER: Declercq ER 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11581629 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature