Hear Her: How Clinicians Can Help Prevent Maternal Deaths

Many pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, and health care professionals are part of the solution. CDC's Hear Her campaign asks clinicians to really hear women's concerns during and after pregnancy and to talk them through openly, so no issue goes unaddressed.

Why listening matters

When patients are engaged in their care, safety and quality improve. Make pregnant and postpartum patients feel understood and valued at every visit, and listen when they raise a concern.

What you can do

1. Ask questions to understand your patients and what may be affecting their lives.
2. Teach the warning signs: help patients — and whoever comes with them — know the urgent maternal warning signs and when to seek care right away.
3. Manage conditions: help patients control chronic conditions and those that can arise in pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and depression.
4. Check for bias: recognize and address unconscious bias, in yourself and in your office.
5. Respect everyone: give all patients respectful care.
6. Close the loop: address every concern a patient raises.

More from Hear Her

• Videos for health care professionals: experts on how clinicians can improve maternal health and prevent pregnancy-related deaths.
• Campaign resources and clinical tools.
• Pages for obstetric professionals, pediatricians, other clinicians and those who serve American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Sources

Based on "Health Care Professionals," Hear Her campaign, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.