HIT Like A Girl Pod Takes Action During Maternal Health Month
May is Maternal Health Month, and it is a crucial time to talk about the alarming maternal health outcomes in the United States. The HIT Like A Girl Pod is committed to driving awareness of this critical issue as a community that promotes women's voices and leadership in healthcare technology. We want to be instrumental in finding solutions that can help mothers, healthcare providers, and the community. All this month and beyond, we will share critical statistics and insights highlighting the problems surrounding maternal health outcomes and what we can do to improve maternal care.
Maternal health in the US has been a problem for decades, with the country consistently having higher maternal death rates than other industrialized nations. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), America’s maternal mortality rate was 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018. Black Non-Hispanic women were approximately three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. This statistic is horrifying and unacceptable; it is time to take action.
Several factors contribute to poor maternal health outcomes, including inadequate access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, pre-existing health conditions, and implicit bias among healthcare providers. These factors often result in delayed or incomplete diagnosis, inadequate intervention, or inappropriate care delivery, leading to adverse perinatal outcomes or maternal death. We need to employ a multifaceted solution approach to address these systemic issues and involve stakeholders at all levels.
One critical solution we can implement to tackle maternal health disparities is leveraging technology to improve care coordination, enhance access to care, and promote effective communication among providers, patients, and caregivers. Telehealth, mHealth (mobile health), and wearable technology can create a continuum of care that can help expand access to prenatal and postpartum care, especially to underserved populations or rural communities. Remote patient monitoring can help identify high-risk pregnancies and provide real-time data to providers, enabling them to intervene promptly when necessary. Additionally, deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms can help providers analyze maternal health data more effectively and identify trends, patterns, and disparities that can inform care interventions.
Another essential consideration is diversity and inclusivity in healthcare systems, from leadership and workforce representation to translating healthcare information to meet patients' cultural and linguistic needs. A more diverse workforce would help reduce implicit bias and increase patients’ trust in the healthcare system, enabling better communication and care delivery. Further, training programs can be designed to increase cultural competency among providers to understand and meet the diverse needs of patients.
As we celebrate Maternal Health Month, we must work together to address maternal health disparities and create a sustainable healthcare system that ensures equitable maternal care delivery for all. Fortunately, we have the technological tools, innovative solutions, and a growing awareness of the problem to achieve these goals. It is time to take action and break the cycle that has taken the lives of too many mothers in the US. The HIT Like A Girl Pod is committed to driving change and continuing the conversation to promote women’s health and empower leaders in healthcare technology.
