Major
Public Health
Anticipated Graduation Year
2021
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The United States has one of the highest maternal morbidity and mortality rates among developed nations. Data shows significant disparities in the rates among women of different races. Black women have a much greater maternal morbidity and mortality rate than White women, and this can be largely attributed to differences in quality of care in hospitals that serve primarily Black women. To decrease the racial disparity in maternal morbidity and mortality rates, and in turn reduce overall maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States, we must leverage the tools available to us. One of the most promising options is using health information informatics tools (HIIT) to more accurately assess each woman’s social determinants of health, to launch quality of care initiatives through HIIT platforms, and to provide greater access to care through the use of telemedicine.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Justin Harbison, Instructor, Department of Public Health
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Reducing Racial Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
The United States has one of the highest maternal morbidity and mortality rates among developed nations. Data shows significant disparities in the rates among women of different races. Black women have a much greater maternal morbidity and mortality rate than White women, and this can be largely attributed to differences in quality of care in hospitals that serve primarily Black women. To decrease the racial disparity in maternal morbidity and mortality rates, and in turn reduce overall maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States, we must leverage the tools available to us. One of the most promising options is using health information informatics tools (HIIT) to more accurately assess each woman’s social determinants of health, to launch quality of care initiatives through HIIT platforms, and to provide greater access to care through the use of telemedicine.