Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality in Alaska - Multidisciplinary maternal mortality review committees provide a systematic and comprehensive approach to assessing deaths and identifying opportunities for prevention. The Alaska Maternal Child Death Review (MCDR) Committee is coordinated by the Alaska Division of Public Health. MCDR has attempted to review all pregnancy-associated deaths (all deaths within 1 year of pregnancy) in Alaska since 1990. The committee determines which deaths are pregnancy-related, identifies cause(s), contributing factors, and makes recommendations to prevent future deaths. Through comprehensive death review, the MCDR program endeavors to use data to improve public health legislation, policy, and practice and ultimately reduce mortality. This project will support the MCDR program in efforts to increase the timeliness, comprehensiveness, and availability of information on strategies to prevent specifically pregnancy-related but also pregnancy-associated deaths in Alaska. By improving components of the review process, the program seeks to reduce disparities in maternal mortality and other pregnancy-related health complications. During the project period, the following outcomes will be achieved: 1) Increased timeliness, accuracy, and standardization of information available about pregnancy-related deaths in Alaska, including opportunities for prevention. 2) Increased engagement and corporation between MCDR, partners, and communities to communicate information from data on pregnancy-related deaths. 3) Increased availability of MCDR recommendations among communities, clinicians, public health practitioners, and decision-makers. 4) Increased adoption of clinical and non-clinical policies and programs that reflect the highest standards of care. 5) Increased implementation of recommendations that reach or consider the needs of populations disproportionately affected by pregnancy-related mortality in Alaska.
