The US ranks below all other developed countries in maternal mortality as a result of a focus on reactive care, according to a GlobalData analyst.
GlobalData medical analyst David Beauchamp said: “Maternal care is an incredibly important part of modern healthcare. Unfortunately, the US lags behind other developed countries in terms of the standard of care. A major problem in the US is the lack of patient-centred care and a focus on reactive instead of proactive care.”
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Beauchamp was speaking following a panel discussion with industry experts about maternal health and the challenges facing the industry in the US, hosted at Toronto’s Medtech Conference 2024 last month.
The National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) reported a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in the US in 2022 compared with 32.9 in 2021 and 23.8 in 2020. This is considerably higher than the most recent data for all OECD countries, which saw an average MMR of 10.9 in 2020.
The CDC adheres to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of maternal death as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes”.
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By GlobalDataUS health providers usually benefit from the availability of the highest standard of equipment. However, a series of obstacles prevent millions of US women from accessing life-saving care.
These include a shortage of caregivers nationwide, hospital closures and a lack of funding. Although the technologies exist – and exist across the US – they aren’t always available for the women who need them.
Medical devices in maternal care is a sector that has seen significant growth over recent years, although the market remains relatively small. GlobalData is currently tracking 399 available products in the reproductive and maternal health sector, alongside an additional 43 in various stages of development worldwide.
There are additional socioeconomic obstacles. Millions of women in the US live in under-resourced locations, and the US Census Bureau identified that 11.9% of women were still living in poverty in 2022. For those struggling financially, taking time off work and paying for treatment can be difficult.
GlobalData also notes that the US exhibits a lower level of health awareness than other developed countries, especially regarding maternal health.
Whether the US maternal care sector will improve now depends in part on the incoming President Donald Trump, whose campaign notably lacked any mention of the topic. During his previous presidency, Trump signed legislation to provide federal employees with up to 12 weeks of paid maternity and paternity leave. (Private sector workers remain without a legal right to paid leave.) In 2018, Trump also signed a law providing $60m in grants ($12m annually over five years), earmarked for the development of maternal mortality review committees.
Looking forward, Beauchamp commented: “Maternal care is an incredibly important part of women’s health, and ensuring that women have access to this kind of care is vital to reduce maternal mortality. If the problems mentioned above are solved, it is possible the US will see a significant decrease in maternal mortality and an improved standard of care for mothers.”
