Neonatal near miss : a measure of the quality of obstetric care

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

Authors

Avenant, Theunis Johannes

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

Thirty-seven percent of under-five deaths occur in the neonatal period. Identifying and correcting factors that contribute to neonatal and maternal care are of the utmost importance. Evaluation of severe acute maternal morbidity, also known as ‘‘near miss’’, is used to improve obstetric practice. Neonatal near miss in conjunction with neonatal mortality can be used in a similar fashion to identify deficiencies in care. No accepted definition of neonatal near miss currently exists. None of the neonatal morbidity scoring systems is applicable or appropriate for this purpose. Organ system based criteria are objective and allow for identifying severe morbidities and identifying primary causes. This system can be of use in a variety of settings to identify health system problems and to institute remedial action where necessary.

Description

Keywords

Pregnancy, Neonatal morbidity, Severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM), Perinatal mortality

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Avenant, T 2009,'Neonatal near miss : a measure of the quality of obstetric care', Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, doi:10.1016/ j.bpobgyn.2008.12.005