[Perinatal mortality among asylum seekers in the Netherlands seven times higher than in Dutch women]. / Zeven keer zo hoge perinatale sterfte bij vluchtelingen.

In this commentary we discuss the findings of the study by Verschuuren et al. on pregnancy outcomes in asylum seekers centres in the North of the Netherlands. Although alarming, the findings do not surprise us. A lack of continuity in care, language barriers and limited understanding of the healthcare system are just some of the factors shown to result in substandard care that we see regularly in our daily practice. Our main recommendations for healthcare practitioners are to: a) work with professional interpreters; b) maintain an active attitude in inquiring whether an asylum seeker is pregnant; and c) ensure effective collaboration between social and healthcare services. Additionally, we advise healthcare practitioners to: a) actively work on building a relationship of trust with their patients; b) plea for the minimisation of relocations and c) urge researchers to study mortality, morbidity and effectiveness of care around pregnancy and childbirth in the three refugee groups.