Framing maternal morbidity: WHO scoping exercise.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Maternal morbidity estimations are not based on well-documented methodologies and thus have limited validity for informing efforts to address the issue and improve maternal health. To fill this gap, maternal morbidity needs to be clearly defined, driving the development of tools and indicators to measure and monitor maternal health. This article describes the scoping exercise conducted by the World Health Organization's Department of Reproductive of Health and Research (WHO/RHR), as an essential first step in this process.

Methods

A literature review was conducted to identify the range of definitions and conditions included in various studies of maternal morbidity with a special focus on the similarities and discrepancies of the definitions used across the studies

SUBMITTER: Vanderkruik RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3840647 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature