TEXAS -- New data from the Texas Department of State Health Services has been found to refute a previously reported inflated Texas maternal mortality rate.
Researchers at the Texas DSHS found the number of maternal deaths in Texas in 2012 was actually half the number that was previously reported. According to the research published in the journal "Obstetrics & Gynecology," there were 56 maternal deaths among Texas residents, compared to the 147 deaths reporters in national statistics.
DSHS has developed an intensive method that works on verifying maternal deaths starting from 2012, and continuing to find more accurate maternal death counts. This method began after a 2016 publication released a dramatic increase in the number of maternal deaths in Texas from 2010 to 2012.
The study shows dozens of women that were identified on their death certificates as being pregnant at the time of death were actually not. This error likely occurred because the people certifying the deaths had possibly selected the wrong pregnancy option in the electronic system used to register deaths, the study suggests.
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This could have been a bigger issue between 2010 to 2012 since the number of death certificates submitted electronically in Texas increased by over 40 percent.
Calculating maternal death solely relies on the cause of death codes from death certificates. DSHS's enhanced method verifies those deaths by matching them to records of births and fetal deaths, as well as reviewing medical and autopsy records for evidence of pregnancy or miscarriage.
Researchers also identified some maternal deaths missed by the standard method by matching the death records of all female Texas residents against birth and fetal death records.
Dr. Manda Hall, DSHS Associate Commissioner for Community Health Improvement, said “better data will improve our ability to implement and assess ways to reduce maternal deaths and other severe pregnancy complications."
A new registration system being developed will prompt certifiers to confirm the pregnancy status before allowing a death record to be submitted.