Supports the introduction of systems to monitor and address the burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

Countries are increasingly collecting data that will enable the burden of stillbirths and newborn deaths to be more accurately estimated. Yet in most countries, especially where the estimated burden is the highest, there is a need to strengthen the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems for counting all births and deaths and assigning cause of death. Most stillbirths and half of all neonatal deaths do not receive a birth certificate and are not registered. Improving systems for reporting births and neonatal deaths is a matter of human rights and a prerequisite for reducing stillbirths and neonatal mortality.

By counting the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, gathering information on where and why these deaths occurred and also by trying to understand the underlying contributing causes and avoidable factors, health care providers, programme managers, administrators and policy-makers can help to prevent future deaths and grief for parents, and improve the quality of care provided throughout the health system.

This guide shows the way forward for health care facilities and/or whole countries to introduce a system to address the burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Similar to the maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) approach to ending preventable maternal mortality, this guide and related tools provide support for identifying cases, collecting information and analysing the data collected to recommend solutions to improve the quality of care and to implement the changes within a continuous evaluation and response cycle.