Abstract
To compare severe maternal outcomes (SMOs) from two multi-centre surveys in Nigerian hospitals, and to evaluate how the SMO burden affects quality of secondary and tertiary hospital care.
Two facility-based surveys of women experiencing SMO (maternal near-miss or maternal deaths).
Sixteen secondary and five tertiary facilities in Nigeria [WHO Multi-Country Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health (WHOMCS)] and 42 public tertiary facilities in Nigeria (Nigeria Near-Miss and Maternal Death Survey).
371 women in WHOMCS-Nigeria and 2449 women in Nigeria Near-Miss and Maternal Death Survey who experienced SMO.
Secondary analysis and comparison of SMO data from two surveys, stratified by facility level.
Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) per 100 000 livebirths (LB), maternal near-miss (MNM) ratio per 1000 LB, SMO ratio per 1000 LB and mortality index (deaths/SMO).
Maternal mortality ratio and mortality indices were highest in tertiary facilities of the WHOMCS-Nigeria (706 per 100 000; 26.7%) and the Nigeria Near-Miss and Maternal Death Survey (1088 per 100 000; 40.8%), and lower in secondary facilities of the WHOMCS-Nigeria (593 per 100 000; 17.9%). The MNM ratio and SMO ratio were highest in secondary WHOMCS-Nigeria facilities (27.2 per 1000 LB; 33.1 per 1000 LB).
Tertiary-level facilities in Nigeria experience unacceptably high maternal mortality rates, but secondary-level facilities had a proportionately higher burden of severe maternal outcomes. Common conditions with a high mortality index (postpartum haemorrhage, eclampsia, and infectious morbidities) should be prioritised for action. Surveillance using SMO indicators can guide quality improvement efforts and assess changes over time.
2820 Nigerian women with severe maternal outcomes: high mortality in tertiary level hospitals, higher burden in secondary level.