The health status of women around the world, including maternal outcome
s, is directly influenced by a myriad of different factors including health equity, socioeconomic status and environmental impact. Maternal mortality has long been a public health concern in the US and the ability to correctly share maternal deaths data has been a challenge, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
As described in the HIMSS & REACH report, Developing a Digital Tech-Enabled Maternal Health, “unequal access to information and health services further increases health risks among all women. These factors influence the availability of and access to quality healthcare and preventive services. Maternal mortality in particular, deserves action at every level.” The report recommends that “health systems should collaborate on advocating for maternal health and clinically appropriate uses of telehealth and remote patient monitoring for perinatal care, including advocacy efforts related to maternal health. Additionally, more timely collection, analysis and reporting of maternal health data is imperative.”
In an effort to combat this effort IHE USA launched the Path to Production - a series of digital events for interoperability stakeholders at all maturity and engagement levels to have the opportunity to marshal resources and help accelerate the development and deployment of standards in critical, under-resourced areas to support better population health outcomes.
Questions?
Questions about participating in any of these initiatives can be directed to iheusa@himss.org.