LAUSR

Key Points Question How well did the vital statistics database capture the incidence and causes of maternal mortality in Hong Kong? Findings In this cross-sectional study including 173 maternal deaths from 2000 to 2019, 91% of maternal mortality events identified were missed by the vital statistics. The leading cause of maternal mortality was suicide, and all suicide and amniotic fluid embolism deaths, 90% of hypertensive disorder deaths, 50% of obstetric hemorrhage deaths, and 97% of indirect deaths were missed by the vital statistics. Meaning These findings suggest that the vital statistics database did not reflect the true incidence of maternal mortality in Hong Kong, which could misguide allocation of resources.