The purpose of the new WHO document “Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR): materials to support implementation” is to provide a roadmap for conducting MPDSR in clinical and policy settings.
This operational guide has a broad target audience, which may include: clinicians and all participants in clinical care for women and babies, and the maternal and perinatal death review processes as well as public health officials and public health leadership and other stakeholders in maternal and perinatal death reduction, such as planners and managers, in-service trainers, epidemiologists, demographers, policy-makers and professionals working with vital registration systems.
This document is a practical step by step guidance, relevant to establish a framework to assess the burden of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, including trends in numbers and causes of death and on how to link maternal and perinatal death reviews. It is important to generate information about modifiable factors contributing to preventable death, and to use the information to guide action in order to prevent similar deaths in the future. The document promotes confidentiality and a “blame free” culture fostering accountability for results and compelling decision-making.