In spite of numerous advancements in medical prevention and treatment in the healthcare system, maternal mortality is still a leading issue in the US. Defined as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy,’ …[excluding] those from accidental or incidental causes[,]” maternal death is a tragic issue experienced by far too many (CDC, 2019). Contrary to what some may think, the number of reported maternal deaths has actually been increasing since 2003 (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2020). Furthermore, black women are three times more likely to pass away from complications related to pregnancy than white women (CDC, 2022). There are numerous reasons for this racial disparity, including “…variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias” (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2022).
Far too often, medical providers have underlying racial biases and prejudices, and do not receive adequate cultural sensitivity training. This impacts the quality of care given to their black patients, and ultimately plays a role in healthcare outcomes. To address this issue, healthcare professionals need to receive ongoing cultural competency and implicit bias training, and medical systems need to regularly administer bias experience surveys to their patients to assess and improve healthcare climates.