In this study, Catherine used routine data reported within the health system (DHIS2) to understand whether deaths of women due to maternal causes in health facilities are changing over time. She included data from around 250 facilities (a subset of all facilities in Kampala which reported at least one birth occurred there during the study period).

The analysis included over half a million births during the six-year study period and 992 maternal deaths were we ported. Maternal mortality in health facilities in Kampala increased from 2019 to 2021. Catherine found that referral and facility readiness were underlying reasons for the majority of the recorded maternal deaths. She recommended that addressing bottlenecks in emergency referral processes may contribute to mortality reduction.