Extremely severe maternal morbidity, maternal mortality: a necessary review

Abstract

Introduction. Extremely severe maternal morbidity puts the woman's life at risk. Reviewing the social determination factors that directly impact the survival of women is essential to act on the vulnerable population. Aim. Update, according to the state of the art, knowledge about extremely serious maternal morbidity from the perspective of the social determination process. Method: To review this topic, the databases included in the LILACS, EBSCO and HINARI services in the last five years were consulted. The search was aimed at extremely severe maternal morbidity, according to current criteria and terms for the social determination of health. Results: Extremely severe maternal morbidity is a complication that occurs during pregnancy, childbirth and/or the postpartum period and requires immediate attention in order to avoid death. When pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period occur in an unfavorable environment, reproduction becomes a high-risk event. In terms of health equity, it is not enough to achieve favorable indicators; It is also necessary that the entire population be able to develop their maximum health potential, regardless of social and economic conditions or the territory where they live. Conclusions: The study on the inequality of the distribution of damage to health can serve to make inequality visible, and articulate health proposals and policies that manage to influence the profiles of social determination of damage and thus reduce the unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality.