The Maternal Mortality Review Committee Abstractor Manual provides guidance on comprehensively and efficiently gathering information to accurately document the events of a woman’s life leading up to and including her death. Abstraction templates by common causes of maternal death and case narrative templates are provided.
For reference and examples of case reviews, see the Maternal Mortality Review Committee Mock Case Workbook.
See the “Model Abstractor Job Description” section in the Maternal Mortality Review Committee Abstractor Manual for considerations for hiring abstractors. Note that most MMRCs utilize experienced clinical abstractors who are paid a flat hourly fee to review all medical and social services records and to abstract the data, allowing 10-15 hours per case including travel time. Refer to the abstractor time estimates spreadsheet for assistance in calculating the number of hours of abstraction required for your committee each year.