{"id":78714,"date":"2018-04-30T11:25:25","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T21:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=78714"},"modified":"2019-03-27T14:49:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T00:49:53","slug":"lower-hawaiis-high-rate-of-maternal-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/04\/30\/lower-hawaiis-high-rate-of-maternal-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> doctor working to lower Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s high rate of maternal deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>
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Scott Harvey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scott Harvey<\/strong>, a University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/a> medical school faculty member is working with the state Department of Health<\/a> and local lawmakers to reduce the number of women dying in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> during childbirth. Mothers in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>—and the United States as a whole—are dying of pregnancy-related complications, or maternal mortality, at higher rates than in any other developed country.<\/p>\n

Over the past three decades, nations like Germany and Japan have significantly decreased maternal deaths, while the situation has worsened by 300 percent in the U.S.<\/abbr> In Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, maternal deaths account for 5 to 15 fatalities every year.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> lawmakers mandated a comprehensive study of child and maternal deaths. Harvey, assistant professor and director of residential simulation at the John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology<\/a> and the state’s only obstetric critical care specialist, chairs the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Department of Health Maternal Mortality Review Committee.<\/p>\n

Harvey, who earned his medical degree from JABSOM<\/abbr> in 2010, said although there is no clear-cut explanation of why mothers in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> are dying in childbirth, he urged all women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy to seek care from a professional healthcare provider.<\/p>\n

“The unfortunate thing is a lot of the maternal deaths that we’ve seen have had either very minimal or no prenatal care,” said Harvey. “Some (women) didn’t even know they were pregnant.”<\/p>\n

The mortality review committee submitted its second annual report to the Legislature based on reviews conducted in 2017 and continues to meet twice a year to discuss strategies to prevent future maternal deaths.<\/p>\n

See the JABSOM<\/abbr> website for the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n