Mortality-weighted severe maternal morbidity: a novel approach to assessing maternal health outcomes

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12884-025-08526-8?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office on Women’s Health (OWH) is pleased to announce the release of a new peer-reviewed publication in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, “Mortality-Weighted Severe Maternal Morbidity: A Novel Approach to Assessing Maternal Health Outcomes.” This open-access article adds valuable evidence to the growing body of research aimed at improving maternal health outcomes and advancing high-quality care for all pregnant women. The publication presents a mortality-weighted SMM composite index that accounts for indicator-specific severity and additive harm from co-occurring SMM indicators. The improved SMM metric is relevant to clinicians, community partners, and policymakers in both the assessment and intervention of adverse delivery-related events. The HHS OWH encourages you to reach out and share the article with colleagues and networks working in women’s and maternal health.