Culture refers to a set of values, goals, shared attitudes, and practices that c

Culture refers to a set of values, goals, shared attitudes, and practices that characterize an organization (Merriam-Webster, 2022). Part of being a nurse is understanding other people’s cultures in order to deliver the most appropriate care for a specific individual; this is known as cultural competency. Part of cultural competency is understanding the risks individuals of a certain culture may have. For example, maternal mortality rates vary significantly on a woman’s age and ethnic group. First off, a maternal death is defined as “the death of a woman while pregnant of within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes” (Hoyert, 2020). Statistics from 2020 showed that the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Blacks was 2.9 the rate than for non-Hispanic Whites. Racial group is a prevalent social determinant of health. Rates were also increased with maternal age. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate for women over the age of 40 was 7.8 times higher than the rate for women under the age of 25 (Hoyert, 2020).
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Reason being, there is a national shortage of maternity caregivers such as gynecologists and midwives. The United States is also the only country that does not guarantee access to provider home visits or paid maternity leave during the postpartum period (Tikkanen et al., 2020). In the first week postpartum, severe bleeding, high blood pressure, and infection are the most common causes of maternal death, while cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of late deaths (Tikkanen et al., 2020). As nurses, especially those working with expectant mothers, it is our job to be aware of these risks and prevent them before they arise. Maternal care does not occur only while a woman is pregnant, it occurs during prenatal time and postpartum. The role of nurses is to educate, prevent, and trea