Our Focus
MPDSR
Photo: Samira, a midwife, gives health advice to a patient in Foladi clinic in October 2016 in Bamyan, Afghanistan. © UNFPA/Rada Akbar
Understanding why women and babies die
We must understand exactly why a woman died during or immediately after pregnancy and childbirth or why a infant died before it was born or in the first month of life – to prevent other women and infants dying in the same way. That goes beyond the medical causes of death to include the woman’s and infant’s personal stories and underlying factors contributing to their deaths, such as delays in seeking and accessing care. Policy-makers and managers must know, understand and factor in this broader picture and personal stories to improve their health systems.
: A midwife is presenting a newborn to the mother at Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in January 2022. © UNFPA/Lisa Thanner
Telling women’s and newborn’s stories
This is where the maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) system comes in – an approach to end preventable maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths. It is designed to enable these tragic stories to be told, to improve the quality of care provided to women and their infants, and to reduce the unacceptably high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality.
MPDSR is a surveillance and quality improvement system that supports the achievement of the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere coverage targets and contributes to achieving the SDG mortality targets.
– Source: Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth: progress report 2023. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023
MPDSR: acting on the evidence
MPDSR involves a diverse range of stakeholders, including communities, health workers, professional associations, the Ministry of Health and international partners to identify suspected maternal or perinatal deaths, select cases to analyse, understand why, how and where the deaths occurred, and take action to prevent similar deaths occurring in the future.
Simultaneously, MPDSR monitors progress in implementing recommendations for change. It follows a cycle of notification, review, analysis and response covering maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths. It takes into account deaths in health facilities and in communities.
*Maternal Mortality Ratio, ** Perinatal Mortality Ratio
Source: Maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response: materials to support implementation. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021 (https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/348487).
MPDSR complements other national information systems, but the extent of integration of MPDSR with these existing systems varies from one country to another.
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