Maternal morbidity and mortality in ElShatby and Dar Ismail maternity hospitals in Alexandria: A comparative study

Objective: To compare ElShatby University Maternity Hospital and Dar Ismail Public Hospital in regard to antenatal, natal, and postnatal morbidity and the causes of maternal mortality.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to study females who gave birth in each of the hospitals. Then, a prospective survey of the women was conducted until the 42nd day after delivery. Data were gathered from women who delivered in addition to their caring obstetricians as well as reviewing their medical records. Additionally, records of maternal mortality were reviewed. All females who gave birth between January and April 2014 (3 months) were included in the study.Results: Two hundred and eighty females participated in the study (130 from ElShatby University Maternity Hospital and 150 from Dar Ismail Public Hospital). Significantly more rural women (29.2%) gave birth at ElShatby University Hospital than at Dar Ismail Public Hospital (16.7%), p = 0.012. More than half of all the study participants (51.8%) suffered from anemia during pregnancy. A minority (5%) of the women were diagnosed with preeclampsia, all of whom gave birth at ElShatby Hospital. Caesarean section rate was significantly higher among women delivered at ElShatby University Hospital compared to Dar Ismail Hospital (61.5% versus 41.3%, p < 001). Only 8.2% of all women needed ICU admission at ElShatby Hospital. The most common cause of maternal mortality was eclampsia, which accounted for 75% of deceased women.Conclusion: Future studies are needed to identify and understand better the avoidable factors contributing to the relatively high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in public hospitals. Such information will be of significant use in the processes related to providing quality services, ensuring accessibility of those services, and allocating corresponding resources aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality.Keywords: Maternal mortality, Maternal morbidity, Health care sector