The Impact Of Disparate Treatment On Pregnancy Outcomes In Minority Women

Abstract

Pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable and important events in a woman’s life, however this experience can differ for minority women from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 700 women die each year in the US because of pregnancy or delivery complications while also reporting that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy than white women. More than half of these deaths and near-deaths are the result of preventable causes, and a disproportionate number of the women suffering are Black women. A review of the literature was done using the CINAHL database, and the articles that were collected will be used to find common themes across multiple author’s findings that link directly to causative factors and their outcomes. The themes are (a) minority women experiencing lower-quality care; (b) minority women experiencing biases in communities; (c) minority women experiencing implicit bias within the health care delivery system; (d) minority women experiencing the effects of systemic oppression. Each of these elements have contributed to the rising prevalence of pregnancy-related morbidities and deaths. Nurses must advocate for high-quality, safe treatment and care for every patient to dismantle racial health disparities and decrease maternal morbidity and mortality rates. The desire to learn and to be aware of the variables influencing racial inequalities in pregnant minority women is the first step to improve health care standards and work to dismantle this growing racial health disparity.