Pregnant women in New York should be able to rely on their health care providers to respond correctly to health problems. However, according to CNN, the doctors in the state often rely on their personal preferences for treatment of unexpected medical events rather than referring to medically proven safety guidelines. Some medical professionals believe the lack of standards is one of the reasons the number of maternal deaths in childbirth has increased in the past few years.

The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, an OB/GYN professional group, reports that the mortality rate of New York’s mothers was at 23.1 per 100,000 live births in 2010. That statistic translates to 47th in the country for pregnancy-related deaths, and it sparked awareness and action for that organization and others. The Safe Motherhood Initiative is ACOG’s attempt to identify and correct the growing number of preventable deaths. The group determined that health care providers need to improve reporting systems so that adverse event trends can be studied in detail to determine how to address them.

In addition, a review of medical literature identified a significant source of the inconsistencies of care provided to expectant mothers: a lack of diagnostic and treatment protocols. Three groups that are particularly likely to receive unstandardized care include those at high risk of blood clots, hemorrhaging and high blood pressure. Because complications that arise from these events are usually treatable, ACOG is working through the Safe Motherhood Initiative to develop standard practices for implementation in all the state’s obstetric departments and facilities.