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A protocol for a systematic review of standardised tools used in perinatal death review programmes
Emily O'Connor1,2,3, Richard Greene2, Keelin O'Donoghue1,3
1INFANT Research Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Insights
This systematic review seeks standardized tools for perinatal death reviews in high-income countries. It aims to identify and appraise methods for improving maternal and infant care quality.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Health
- Public Health Surveillance
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
Background:
- Perinatal mortality, including stillbirths and neonatal deaths, necessitates effective review processes.
- The World Health Organization recommends a perinatal death surveillance and response cycle to improve care.
- Current methods for conducting perinatal death reviews lack standardization, hindering optimal implementation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically identify and describe standardized tools used for reviewing perinatal deaths.
- To assess if these tools incorporate modifiable factors contributing to perinatal mortality.
- To evaluate the potential of these tools in establishing recommendations for enhancing the quality of maternal and infant care.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed publications and grey literature without date restrictions.
- Eligibility criteria based on the SPIDER framework to identify relevant perinatal mortality review tools.
- Appraisal of identified tools using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Health Systems (AGREE-HS) instrument.
Main Results:
- The review protocol outlines a comprehensive methodology for identifying and appraising standardized perinatal mortality review tools.
- It establishes criteria for evaluating the inclusion of modifiable factors and the generation of quality improvement recommendations.
- The protocol aims to provide a foundation for optimizing perinatal mortality review processes.
Conclusions:
- This systematic review protocol will aid in identifying and appraising standardized tools for perinatal mortality reviews.
- It offers a structured approach to enhance the quality of care for mothers and infants in middle- to high-income countries.
- The findings may contribute to establishing best practices for perinatal death review processes globally.
Abstract:
Introduction: Perinatal mortality encompasses stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. A perinatal death surveillance and response cycle has been recommended by the World Health Organization for use in the review of perinatal deaths. The main components of the cycle include identifying and reporting perinatal deaths, and reviewing the deaths, including potentially modifiable factors, in order to measure and improve quality of care provided to women and infants. There is no consensus on the best way to design, implement and conduct perinatal death reviews. This systematic review aims to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths. Objectives: The primary aim of this protocol is to describe methodology for a systematic search of the literature to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths in upper-middle to high-income countries. Review tools may include standardised checklists, forms, frameworks or other structured documents used to review perinatal deaths. Review tools will be appraised to see if they incorporate the identification of modifiable factors in perinatal deaths and establish recommendations for improvements to quality of care provided. Methods: A systematic review of the literature will be performed to identify peer-reviewed publications and grey literature describing the use of perinatal mortality review tools without date restrictions. The eligibility of review tools for inclusion will be based on inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to the SPIDER framework. Data will be extracted based on the structure and content of included review tools, and the tools will be appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Health Systems (AGREE-HS) instrument. Conclusion: This systematic review protocol for identifying and appraising standardised perinatal mortality review tools may help to establish the optimal way to structure a standardised review process for perinatal mortality in middle- to high-income countries. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022326877.
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