Using decision science to estimate the cost effectiveness of various interventions to reduce maternal mortality

While substantial progress has been made in reducing maternal mortality since the Millennium Development Goals were established in 2000, in some countries a woman’s lifetime risk of maternal death is still as high as 1 in 30. We are working with Dr. Sue Goldie and staff at the Center for Health Decision Science at the Harvard School of Public Health to use decision science methods to show the value of family planning and safe abortion interventions to reduce maternal mortality. We continue to help with translating country-specific maternal health modeling into easy-to-read briefs for policymakers and maternal health experts. We are also working with the Center for Health Decision Science to address data questions in the model, identify priority analyses, and disseminate results to policymakers and advocates. Forthcoming briefs focus on strategies to reduce pregnancy-related deaths in India; the value of family planning for improving maternal health in rural Afghanistan; and a comparison of the costs of unsafe and safe abortion in Ghana, Mexico City, and Nigeria.