The latest triennial review of maternal deaths showed a rise in the maternal death ratio. Whether this represents a new trend or just a statistical fluctuation remains to be seen.
The Report on maternal deaths in Australia, 1994–961 was released in September 2001. It is the eleventh in a series of triennial reports that detail maternal deaths in a case summary format. The principal aim of the Report is to improve the quality and safety of healthcare during pregnancy and the puerperium through the education of obstetric practitioners.
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- 1 Discipline of Reproductive Medicine, University of Newcastle, NSW.
- 2 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Perinatal Statistics Unit, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW.
- 3 Department of Perinatal Medicine, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC.
Correspondence: kim.roderick@newcastle.edu.au
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- 4. Nassar N, Sullivan EA, Lancaster P, Day P. Australia's mothers and babies 1998. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2000.
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