%0 Journal Article
%T From planning to practice: building the national network for the surveillance of severe maternal morbidity
%A Samira M Haddad
%A Jos¨¦ G Cecatti
%A Mary A Parpinelli
%A JoŁżo P Souza
%A Maria L Costa
%A Maria H Sousa
%A Fernanda G Surita
%A JoŁżo L Pinto e Silva
%A Rodolfo C Pacagnella
%A Rodrigo S Camargo
%A Maria V Bahamondes
%A Vilma Zotareli
%A L¨˛cio T Gurgel
%A Lale Say
%A Robert C Pattinson
%A National Network for the Surveillance of Severe Maternal Morbidity Group
%J BMC Public Health
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2458-11-283
%X The project consisted of a multicenter, cross-sectional study for the surveillance of severe maternal morbidity including near-miss, in Brazil.Following the development of a conceptual framework, centers were selected for inclusion in the network, consensus meetings were held among the centers, an electronic data collection system was identified, specific software and hardware tools were developed, research material was prepared, and the implementation process was initiated and analyzed.The conceptual framework developed for this network was based on the experience acquired in various studies carried out in the area over recent years and encompasses maternal and perinatal health. It is innovative especially in the context of a developing country. The implementation of the project represents the first step towards this planned management. The system online elaborated for this surveillance network may be used in further studies in reproductive and perinatal health.The reduction of maternal mortality is one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals for 2015 [1]. In some countries, some progress has been achieved, but there is very little progress in the most of high mortality countries [2-4].The high mortality ratios result mainly from difficulties in accessing healthcare services, the inadequate management of obstetrical complications and failure to provide effective interventions in poorly developed areas [5]. On the other hand, the occurrence of maternal death in developed settings is a relatively rare event compared to the total number of women who survive such complications [3]. The study of severe maternal morbidity has been suggested as a useful approach to investigating quality of health care systems in order to improve women's healthcare and effectively reduce maternal morbidity [5]. Nevertheless, differences also exist in the definitions and procedures used to identify cases of morbidity, which need also progressive transformation and development [6,
%K surveillance network
%K severe maternal morbidity
%K near-miss
%K multicenter cross-sectional study
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/283