Understanding maternal morbidity from the perspectives of women & people with pregnancy experience: a concept analysis

Review question / Objective: This study will investigate the question: what is maternal morbidity from the perspective of women and people with pregnancy experience? The objectives of this study are to: 1. describe the conditions and events that WPPE conceptualize as maternal morbidities, 2. identify the themes that arise across WPPE’s experiences, such as regional and cultural differences and similarities, and 3. produce a schematic representation of how WPPE conceptualize maternal morbidity. Background: Maternal morbidity is primarily concerned with adverse pregnancy-related outcomes, excluding mortality, among the pregnant and postpartum population. Although presently a global concern, maternal morbidity was not always prioritized in healthcare and research. The increased attention towards maternal morbidity in recent decades was preceded by the initial prioritization of maternal mortality as the dominant indicator of maternal health, leading to its decreasing trend over the decades.(1) Standards of maternal care are no longer solely defined by preventing mortality; they now include preventing and better treatment of maternal morbidity to improve patient outcomes. However, there are no universally accepted criteria for describing maternal morbidity. Less evidence is available on the views of Women and People with Pregnancy Experience (WPPE), and a knowledge gap exists in conceptualizing maternal morbidity from their perspective.