Abstract Introduction The
maternal mortality rate in
developing countries, such as
Brazil, has significantly increased since 2020. Obstetric
Emergencies (OE) account for 72.5% of these deaths. A national
survey was conducted in
Brazil to evaluate how
gynecologists and
obstetricians deal with OE and identify the main difficulties regarding theoretical/practical
knowledge and structural
resources.
Methods An
electronic questionnaire assessing
resource availability,
health teams, institutional
protocols, and
provision of OE
training courses was completed by Brazilian
obstetricians. Results More than 90 % of the
questionnaire respondents reported treating a pregnant and/or puerperal
patient with severe
morbidity and that their
health network has
human resources, trained professionals, and structural
resources required for this type of care. However, few
respondents participate in
continuing education programs (36 %) or specific
training for the medical team (61.41 %). The implementation rates of obstetric
risk identification
protocols (33.09 %), a
rapid response team (46.54 %), and
boxes and
emergency cart assembly teams (71.68 %) were determined. Conclusion A high
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) may be related to disorganized healthcare systems, low implementation of
risk classification protocols for the care of severe maternal and fetal conditions, and lack of access to continued/specific
training programs. The Brazilian MMR is multifactorial. According to
obstetricians, Brazilian
health services include care teams, essential medications, obstetric centers, and clinical
analysis laboratories, though they lack systematized processes and permanent
professional training for qualified care of OE.