Patients describe how communication failures shaped their sepsis risk during childbirth

Obstetric sepsis is a leading and preventable cause of severe maternal morbidity, and it disproportionately affects Black and Brown birthing people. A new qualitative study argues that examining patient-clinician communication in the context of sepsis risk management is critical, and may help understand severe maternal morbidity more broadly. The research, published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, examined how patients experienced communication while facing sepsis and infection risk during pregnancy and childbirth, and what they would change about the care they received.

The study used a community-based participatory research framework, meaning the researchers collaborated with community stakeholders to co-design the study tools and recruitment strategies. Qualitative interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, and participants were recruited through purposive sampling from four participating New York City hospitals. In total, sixty patients completed both demographic surveys and qualitative interviews. Most identified as Black and/or Hispanic or Latina and had Medicaid insurance.

To analyze what patients said, the team calculated descriptive statistics and applied an inductive thematic analysis. Codes were developed and refined iteratively through team-based coding and consensus review, and the qualitative findings were drawn from co-occurrence data displays. The qualitative findings were drawn from co-occurrence data displays, highlighting patient experiences with sepsis and infection, communication, and care recommendations.

Five themes emerged from the interviews, and all of them centered on communication. The first concerned the role of communication during sepsis and infection uncertainty. The second theme showed that communication shapes patient perceptions of care quality.

The third theme linked communication to shared decision-making and patient autonomy. The third theme showed that communication supports shared decision-making and patient autonomy. The fourth theme showed that communication builds trust and enables patient advocacy. The fourth theme showed that communication builds trust and enables patient advocacy.

The fifth theme captured what patients themselves would change. The fifth theme captured patient recommendations, which emphasized communication, preparedness, and support.

The researchers frame these findings against a broader problem. Delayed sepsis recognition can be attributed to social drivers of health and to poor patient-clinician communication. Because obstetric sepsis is preventable, the study notes that delayed sepsis recognition can be attributed to social drivers of health and poor patient-clinician communication. Patient-clinician communication is a central component of high-quality, patient-centered care and shapes how patients experience and evaluate their healthcare, which means examining it may provide insight into the disparities that produce severe maternal morbidity more broadly.

The study’s conclusions are direct. Quality patient-clinician communication can foster trusting relationships, manage uncertainty, support shared decision-making, and shape patient perceptions of care quality. These communication functions can impact the timely care necessary to prevent complications like sepsis. The authors conclude that these communication functions can impact the timely care necessary to prevent complications like sepsis.

The authors call for future research to apply community-based participatory approaches in clinical obstetric settings to further understand how communication impacts perinatal health outcomes, and to explore ways institutions could monitor communication as a clinical metric. The authors suggest future research explore ways to institutionally monitor communication as a clinical metric. For the patients in this study, the interviews offered a chance to describe their experiences and identify strategies to improve sepsis management and care continuity.

As a qualitative study of sixty patients in four New York City hospitals, the research describes experiences and themes rather than measuring clinical outcomes directly. Its contribution lies in documenting, through rigorous thematic analysis, the specific communication functions that patients identify as decisive during sepsis risk, and in elevating patient-generated strategies for improving sepsis management and care continuity. The findings arrive amid attention to obstetric sepsis as a leading and preventable cause of severe maternal morbidity that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown birthing people, making the case that listening to patients is not only an ethical obligation but a clinical one.

Subject of Research: Patient-clinician communication during obstetric sepsis risk experiences in New York hospitals

Article Title: Patient centered insights on communication and care: a qualitative study of obstetric sepsis risk experiences and recommendations

Article References: Richardson, B. T., Moss, R. A., Valle, M. A., Oostrom, T. G. A., Nepal, J., Cepin, A. G., Reddy, U. M., Goffman, D., Upadhyay, R., Friedman, A., Hall, K. S., & Grilo, S. (2026). Patient centered insights on communication and care: a qualitative study of obstetric sepsis risk experiences and recommendations. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-10140-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12884-026-10140-1

Keywords: obstetric sepsis, patient-clinician communication, severe maternal morbidity, qualitative interviews, community-based participatory research, health disparities, shared decision-making, patient autonomy, care continuity, New York hospitals, Patient, centered