Quality Assessment of Stillbirth Review: A Pilot Study in Ten High-Priority Districts in Odisha

Stillbirth rate has shown less or no improvement in developing countries. India was estimated to have the largest number of stillbirths globally in 2015. Systematic review of stillbirths is a strategy that helps in identifying gaps in the care of a pregnant mother, and is a useful and comprehensive indicator of the quality of maternity care.

The objective of this study was to assess the quality of maternal care, and factors causing stillbirth, and to provide some doable plans to reduce its incidence in the Odisha state.

The stillbirth review was undertaken over 4-month timeline (August to November 2014) in ten high-priority districts (HPDs) of Odisha. It included development of tools, desk reviews, training of staffs, and data handling. The deaths were estimated from Annual Health Survey. It was compared to the estimated stillbirth of each district to get the underreporting/overreporting districts. A report was generated on stillbirth process indicators, and program indicators after completion of assessment.

In the selected HPDs of Odisha, 4689 stillbirths were observed during the study period. However, the labor room register stated the reason of death in only 408 cases (8.7%). Further, at the time of admission, a provisional diagnosis could be made for only 3038 (64.7%) cases, of which 11% diagnosed as safe delivery resulted in stillbirth.

The present study could contribute to a larger extent to address some of the gaps in the stillbirth review process in Odisha.