INTRODUCTION:
Among the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, by 2030, is the goal of reducing the “global maternal mortality rate to less than 70 deaths per 100000 live births”. In Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in 2023 was 54.91, and the main causes of maternal death are preventable, such as hemorrhages1. This Experience Report demonstrates how, through the study of an Audit Report, it is possible to support the construction of instruments to evaluate a maternity hospital in MS, Brazil.

METHODS:
Documentary analysis was performed on the Audit Report, produced in 2013 about the maternity, to extract and group the compliant and non-compliant findings, based on the parameters at that time. The findings supported the construction of a questionnaire to be applied to pregnant women and the maternity in order to collect updated data that allow for evaluations regarding maternal and child care.

RESULTS:
By tabulating the compliant findings (availability of material resources, existence of technical standards and protocols, adequate accommodations, for example) and non-compliant findings (lack of a Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Death Investigation Committee, and absence of professional work schedules, for example) from the Report, similar items were grouped to formulate questions, which were included in a questionnaire to collect updated and relevant data on the adequate (or inadequate) conditions of the care provided. The questionnaire directed at postpartum women referred to obstetric history, family planning, prenatal care, childbirth and social data, totaling 85 questions, with open and closed questions.

CONCLUSIONS:
Audit reports are important tools for evaluating health services, especially regarding maternal and child health care. They provide data on which parameters are being met or not, allowing for recommendations on actions that can improve healthcare.