Death certificates for stillborn babies contain major errors

Medical certificates of stillbirth should record the likely cause of death for babies who died in the womb. However, research found major errors in most certificates. Many (43%) certificates had no recorded cause of death, even where the cause was identifiable. These certificates are intended to give parents information about why their baby died. For review boards, they may suggest steps that could have prevented the death. Following this study, researchers call for an independent review of the process of medical certification of stillbirth. This UK-wide study found numerous errors in the documents. Around 1 in 4 deaths were caused by the baby not gaining weight as expected (fetal growth restriction). This was the leading cause of death, but was rarely documented on certificates. A full review is carried out for every stillbirth; this takes time and includes test results that could not be known when the certificate is issued. The researchers recommend that every stillbirth should, in addition, have a rapid review, before the certificate is produced. They also recommend additional training for clinicians on completing the certificates. These measures would improve the accuracy of the causes of stillbirths on certificates, the researchers say. This would enable individual Trusts, and national policy makers, to target resources to improve the care provided by maternity services.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news