Italian Obstetric Surveillance System (ItOSS)
The Italian Obstetric Surveillance System (ItOSS) operates as an Enhanced Obstetric Surveillance System (EOSS), involving all Italian maternity units across Italy. Its primary objective is to collect and disseminate crucial data on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. The overarching aim of ItOSS is to ameliorate the standard of ante, intra and postnatal care throughout the country. (https://www.epicentro.iss.it/itoss/).
Mission statement
to provide estimates on maternal mortality, identify key factors contributing to maternal deaths and severe morbidity, and promote targeted public health interventions to improve the quality of care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum and prevent avoidable adverse outcomes.
Aims
aligned with our mission, the objectives of ItOSS encompass the following:
- Estimating the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) through record-linkage procedures between Death Registry and Hospital Discharge Database
- Identifying the main causes of maternal mortality through incident reporting and Confidential Enquiries
- Undertaking research projects and interventions targeting primary causes of maternal mortality and severe morbidity
- Identifying critical clinical-care and organizational challenges susceptible to improvement
- Formulating evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice
- Provide ongoing training to healthcare professionals on the leading causes of maternal mortality and severe morbidity
- Assessing the impact of implemented measures and refining objectives accordingly
Previous studies
ItOSS has conducted prospective population-based research projects on the following conditions:
- severe maternal morbidity due to obstetric haemorrhage (EPP, PAS, uterine rupture, and hysterectomy)
- severe maternal morbidity due to sepsis, eclampsia, amniotic fluid embolism, and spontaneous hemoperitoneum in pregnancy
- perinatal mental health
- SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.
Current studies
- severe maternal morbidity due to cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism, hysterectomy, and re-laparotomy after caesarean section
