Abstract

There is a well-recognized maternal health crisis in the United States. In 2020, 861 women* died of pregnancy-related complications. This rate remains higher than that of any other resource-rich country. Alarming disparities exist, with non-Hispanic Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women having significantly higher pregnancy-related mortality rates than non-Hispanic White women. Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is part of this maternal health crisis. As with pregnancy-related deaths, rates of SMM are increasing and racial and ethnic disparities continue.

*The terms women, people, and individuals are used interchangeably in this position statement with the recognition that people who are able to become pregnant may be cisgender, transgender, and other gender diversities.

The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health asserts that board-certified women's health nurse practitioners (WHNP-BCs) are crucial partners in addressing the crisis. WHNP-BCs are clinical experts in providing routine and complex women's and gender-related healthcare, promoting healthy behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy; preventing development of risk factors for maternal health complications prior to pregnancy; identifying and addressing existing risk factors prior to and during pregnancy and postpartum; and optimizing maternal health outcomes. They provide this care in a variety of settings, which include private practice offices, community health centers, health departments, rural health clinics, military facilities, corrections facilities, antepartum testing/fetal evaluation centers, inpatient hospital settings, and clients' homes, and through telehealth.

Author Details

As a national professional membership organization, NPWH is the nation's leading voice for courageous conversations about women's health. In our clinics and in our culture, women's health nurse practitioners champion state-of-the-science health care that holistically addresses the unique needs of women across their lifetimes. We elevate the health issues others overlook and compel attention on women's health from providers, policymakers, and researchers.

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Lead Author Affiliation

National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, Washington, DC, USA

Type

Position Statement

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Expert Opinion (nationally/internationally recognized)

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Maternal Health, Maternal Mortality, Maternal Morbidity

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Publisher

The National Association of Nurse Practioners in Women's Health

Version

Publisher's Version

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Review Type

None: Reputation-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

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