[Maternal near misses and health inequalities: an analysis of contextual determinants in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil]

[Spatial analysis of maternal morbidity and mortality in users of the Brazilian Unified National Health System in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2014-2016]

The objective of this study is to analyze the maternal morbidity and mortality of women treated in hospitals of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) in the city of Rio de Janeiro in the period 2014-2016. An ecological study was conducted using data from the Brazilian Information System on Live Birth (SINASC), the Brazilian Mortality Information System (SIM), and the Brazilian Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS). For the analysis of the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), data from the SIM were used. For the analysis of maternal morbidity, World Health Organization criteria were used to estimate the ratios of maternal near miss and potentially life-threatening conditions. SINASC was used to retrieve data on the number of live births, for demographic characterization, social aspects, and access to prenatal care. To evaluate the spatial association between the indicators MMR, ratios of maternal near miss, and potentially life-threatening conditions and the demographic, social, obstetric, and access indicators, obtained from SINASC, the bivariate Moran Index was estimated with a significance level of 0.05, using the GeoDa program. In the period analyzed, the MMR in the Rio de Janeiro was 94.16/100,000 live births, the ratio of maternal near miss was 28.21/1,000 live births, and the potentially life-threatening conditions was 34.31/1,000 live births. Cases of potentially life-threatening conditions were used for the first time in this study and presented diagnoses and procedures during hospitalization more consistent with the maternal mortality profile in the city of Rio de Janeiro. There was a significant association between MMR and percentage of live births in SUS, potentially life-threatening conditions and percentage of live births in SUS, and potentially life-threatening conditions and being single.

atenção Primária à Saúde na pandemia da COVID-19

Introdução: A pandemia da COVID-19 afetou o mundo desigualmente. Países com ausência de coordenação nacional e/ou que resistiram a implementar as ações não farmacológicas de saúde pública tiveram suas populações impactadas pelo alto número de casos e pelas mortes por COVID-19, além de grandes impactos socioeconômicos, como o Brasil e os EUA. No caso brasileiro, especial atenção deve ser dada ao papel da Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS), considerando sua função de coordenadora e ordenadora do Sistema Único de Saúde. Objetivo: Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir as ações da APS no primeiro ano da emergência sanitária no Brasil. Métodos: Para realizar a análise proposta, consideramos os planos propostos por diversas organizações: Organização Mundial da Saúde, Conselho Nacional de Secretários de Saúde e Conselho Nacional de Secretarias Municipais de Saúde, Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva e Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade. Os documentos foram contrapostos ao conjunto de documentos publicados pelo Ministério da Saúde relacionados à APS. Resultados: A estratégia de combate à pandemia do Brasil falhou em subestimar o papel da APS. Mesmo diante do apelo e dos parâmetros estabelecidos por entidades nacionais e internacionais, a ação foi descoordenada e pouco do previsto em notas técnicas foi implementado. Conclusões: Entendendo que a pandemia ainda está em curso no Brasil, há a necessidade de retomar a centralidade da APS.

Assistance process to women with severe maternal morbidity: a mixed study

OBJECTIVE

To describe the maternal and obstetric characteristics associated with severe maternal morbidity, and the factors of the assistance process involved in the severe outcomes according to nurses and doctors.

METHOD

Sequential mixed study at the tertiary maternity in the city of Rio de Janeiro, based on care records and interviews with these professionals, from February to July 2019. Chi-square test, prevalence ratio and thematic content analysis were applied.

RESULTS

In 66 (100%) women with SMM, severe preeclampsia (77.3%) was more prevalent and there were 12 (18.2%) cases of near miss and one maternal death. Postpartum hemorrhage (PR = 3.21; 95% CI 1.22-8.41) and blood transfusions (PR = 3.60; 95% CI 1.81-7.16) contributed to severe outcomes. There are deficiencies in the health system, access to reproductive health and quality of care.

CONCLUSION

Improvements in access to health and quality of the care process are imperative to reduce severe maternal outcomes.

Processo assistencial às mulheres com morbidade materna grave: um estudo misto

RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever as características maternas e obstétricas associadas à morbidade materna grave e os fatores do processo assistencial envolvidos nesses desfechos graves segundo enfermeiras e médicos. Método: Estudo misto sequencial em maternidade terciária no município do Rio de Janeiro, a partir de registros da assistência e entrevistas com esses profissionais, de fevereiro a julho de 2019. Aplicaram-se teste qui-quadrado, razão de prevalência e análise de conteúdo temática. Resultados: Em 66 (100%) mulheres, a pré-eclâmpsia grave (77,3%) foi mais prevalente e ocorreram 12 (18,2%) casos de near miss e um óbito materno. A hemorragia pós-parto (RP= 3,21; IC 95% 1,22-8,41) e realização de transfusões sanguíneas (RP= 3,60; IC 95% 1,81-7,16) contribuíram nos desfechos graves. Há deficiências no sistema de saúde, acesso à saúde reprodutiva e qualidade da assistência. Conclusão: Melhorias no acesso à saúde e qualidade do processo assistencial são imperiosas para reduzir os desfechos maternos graves.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on time series of maternal mortality ratio in Bahia, Brazil: analysis of period 2011-2020

BACKGROUND

Most studies on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been conducted with adults and non-pregnant women. Thus, its impacts on maternal health are not yet fully established. This study aimed to verify the relationship between the maternal mortality ratio and the incidence of COVID-19 in the State of Bahia, Brazil, 2020.

METHODS

This time-series study used publicly available information in Brazil, to obtain data on maternal deaths and live births in Bahia, State, from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020. The time trend of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was analysed through polynomial regression, of order 6. Expected MMR, monthly (Jan-Dec) and annual values for 2020, were predicted by the additive Holt-Winters exponential smoothing algorithm, with 95% confidence interval, based on the time series of the MMR from 2011 to 2019, and the accuracy of the forecasts for 2020 was assessed by checking the smoothing coefficients and the mean errors. According to the statistical forecast, the MMR values ​​recorded in the year 2020 were compared to those expected.

RESULTS

In 2020, the annual MMR in Bahia, Brazil, was 78.23/100,000 live births, 59.46% higher than the expected ratio (49.06 [95% CI 38.70-59.90]). The increase in maternal mortality ratio relative to expected values was observed throughout the 2020 months; however, only after May, when the COVID-19 epidemic rose sharply, it exceeded the upper limit of the 95% CI of the monthly prediction. Of the 144 registered maternal deaths in 2020, 19 (13.19%) had COVID-19 mentioned as the cause of death.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed the increase in maternal mortality, and its temporal relationship with the incidence of COVID-19, in Bahia, Brazil, in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic may be directly and indirectly related to this increase, which needs to be investigated. An urgent public health action is needed to prevent and reduce maternal deaths during this pandemic, in Brazil.

Predictive Factors for Severe Maternal Morbidity in Brazil: A Case-Control Study

The maternal mortality or "maternal near miss" ratio in Brazil reflects the socioeconomic indicators as well as the healthcare quality in some areas of this country, pointing out fragile points in the health services. The aim of this study was to estimate the association of diverse variables related to pregnancy and the occurrence of Near Miss in a population of women who were cared in public maternity wards in Brazil. A case-control study was performed. The association between variables and outcomes was verified through a chi-square test. A multiple analysis was carried out, producing odds ratio (OR) estimates with values of p≤0.25 in the univariate model. The results point to the following risk factors for Severe Maternal Morbidity: non-white (<0.001, OR 2.973), family income of up to two minimum wage salaries (<0.001; OR 2.159), not having a partner (<0.001, OR 2.694), obesity (<0.001, OR 20.852), not having received pre-natal care (<0.001, OR 2.843), going to less than six prenatal appointments (<0.001, OR 3.498), undergoing an inter-hospital transfer (<0.001, OR 24.655), and the absence of labor during admission (<0.001, OR 25.205). Although the results vary, the incidence of women with potential life-threatening complications is high in Brazil, which reinforces the need to universalize more complex interventions as well as coverage of primary care. The presence of precarious socio-economic indicators and unqualified obstetric care were risk factors for Severe Maternal Morbidity.

Desafios para a Atenção Primária à Saúde no Brasil: uma análise do trabalho das agentes comunitárias de saúde durante a pandemia de Covid-19

Resumo As fragilidades da Atenção Primária à Saúde podem ser reconhecidas por meio da análise do trabalho das agentes comunitárias de saúde. Uma vez que a situação enfrentada por essas profissionais representa desafios estruturais do sistema de saúde, este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a situação das profissionais em questão no enfrentamento à pandemia de Covid-19 no Brasil. Analisamos seus desafios com base nos dados coletados em um inquérito online e em netnografia. Para a realização da análise dos dados, optamos pela análise de conteúdo, inspirada na grounded-theory. Observamos três dimensões que representam como as agentes comunitárias de saúde experienciam a pandemia: mudanças nas práticas de trabalho, bem como nas interações entre trabalhadores e usuários e a expectativa do futuro no trabalho pós-pandemia. As análises mostram que para resguardar essas profissionais e garantir o funcionamento da Atenção Primária à Saúde é necessário contar com novas estratégias para viabilizar as dinâmicas locais de trabalho.

Ciência & Saúde Coletiva - 25 years: contributions to pregnancy, delivery, and childhood studies

We reviewed the scientific production on maternal health and the health of children under ten years of age, published in Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva during the last 25 years, focusing on quantitative studies. The authors' characteristics, populations under study, thematic areas, and methodology are described. A total of 170 publications were identified and grouped into 12 major themes. Pregnancy, delivery, and puerperium were the subject of 47 studies, followed by child anthropometric assessments (29), breastfeeding (24), and mortality (13). The selected publications represented 3.5% of the total original papers published by the Journal since its creation in 1996 and about 5% of the publications in the 2015-2020 period. The primary data sources were health service records, information systems, and population surveys. The cross-sectional design was used in 113 of the 170 articles, and 70% covered only one municipality. The Southeast and Northeast Regions of Brazil were the target of most studies, and the North Region was the least represented. The publications reflect the complexity of maternal and child health themes, with a particular focus on the importance of the Unified Health System and showing how open access data can contribute to public health research.

Adverse outcomes of childbirth in high-risk maternity hospitals

Abstract Objectives: to analyze adverse outcomes in teaching maternity hospitals in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. Methods: a cross-sectional, retrospective and analytical study was carried out with a random sample of 480 medical records of postpartum women in 2016 using the Adverse Outcome Index: in-hospital maternal death, neonatal in-hospital death> 2500g and> 37 weeks, uterine rupture, unplanned maternal admission to intensive care unit, delivery trauma to the newborn, return to the operating room, admission to an intensive neonatal unit with >2500g and > 37 weeks for more than one day, Apgar <7 at the fifth minute, maternal hemotransfusion and fourth-degree perineal laceration. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 22.0. Results: the results showed a 21% rate of adverse outcomes, at a rate of 26.4 for every 1,000 births, with a greater occurrence of neonatal intensive care admission with>2500g and>37 weeks for more than one day (52. 5%), maternal blood transfusion (20.8%) and unplanned maternal admission in intensive care (17.8%). Conclusions: the evaluation of adverse outcomes evidenced a high proportion of births with undesirable results, which allowed the analysis of the outlook of unfavorable outcomes related to safety in maternity wards through the use of indicators.

Concepts, prevalence and characteristics of severe maternal morbidity and near miss in Brazil: a systematic review

Abstract Objectives: to analyze frequency, characteristics and causes of severe maternal morbidity (maternal near miss) in Brazil. Methods: a systematic review on quantitative studies about characteristics, causes, and associated factors on severe maternal morbidity (maternal near miss). The search was done through MEDLINE (maternal near miss or severe maternal morbidity and Brazil) and LILACS (maternal near miss, maternal morbidity). Data were extracted from methodological characteristics of the article, criteria for maternal morbidity and main results. Near miss ratios and indicators were described and estimated. Results: we identified 48 studies: 37 were on hospital based; six were based on health surveys and five were based on information systems. Different definitions were adopted. Maternal near miss ratio ranged from 2.4/1000 LB to 188.4/1000 LB, depending on the criteria and epidemiological scenario. The mortality rate for maternal near miss varied between 3.3% and 32.2%. Hypertensive diseases and hemorrhage were the most common morbidities, but indirect causes have been increasing. Flaws in the healthcare were associated to near miss and also sociodemographic factors (non-white skin color, adolescence/ age ≥ 35 years old, low schooling level). Conclusions: the frequency of maternal near miss in Brazil is high, with a profile of similar causes to maternal mortality. Inequities and delays in the healthcare were identified as association.