Table 1.
Selected characteristics of classification systems for causes of stillbirth and neonatal death, 2009–2014
| Characteristic | All systems, n (%) | Systems used in HIC only, n (%) | Systems used in LMIC only, n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| For systems including any type of death (SB, NND, or both) | 81 | 36 | 32 |
| Type of system | |||
| New | 14 (17) | 6 (17) | 4 (13) |
| Modified | 59 (73) | 28 (78) | 23 (72) |
| Unknown | 8 (10) | 2 (6) | 5 (16) |
| Uses ICD codes | |||
| Yes | 17 (21) | 3 (8) | 8 (25) |
| No | 62 (77) | 33 (92) | 23 (72) |
| Unclear | 2 (3) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) |
| Includes definitions for all causes of death | |||
| Yes | 23 (28) | 9 (25) | 11 (34) |
| No | 35 (43) | 14 (39) | 16 (50) |
| Some causes only | 23 (28) | 13 (36) | 5 (16) |
| Includes a description of how COD are to be assigned | |||
| Yes | 33 (41) | 16 (44) | 9 (28) |
| No | 47 (58) | 20 (56) | 23 (72) |
| Unclear | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Number of deaths classified using this system | |||
| Not used | 5 (6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| < 500 | 44 (54) | 17 (47) | 26 (81) |
| 500-999 | 9 (11) | 7 (19) | 2 (6) |
| 1000+ | 23 (28) | 12 (33) | 4 (13) |
| Includes guidance on how potential users might access data from the system | |||
| Yes | 8 (10) | 5 (14) | 2 (6) |
| No | 66 (82) | 24 (67) | 30 (94) |
| Unclear | 7 (9) | 7 (19) | 0 (0) |
| Available in e-format | 3 (4) | 2 (6) | 1 (3) |
| Available in more than 1 language | 1 (1) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Type of death classified | |||
| Both SB and NND | 40 (49) | 20 (56) | 14 (44) |
| NND only | 26 (32) | 7 (19) | 14 (44) |
| SB only | 15 (19) | 9 (25) | 4 (13) |
| Number of countries in which used | |||
| 0 | 5 (6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| 1 | 60 (74) | 30 (83) | 30 (94) |
| 2+ | 13 (16) | 6 (17) | 2 (6) |
| Used to report global data | 3 (4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Tested for reliability | |||
| Yes | 10 (12) | 4 (11) | 3 (9) |
| No | 68 (84) | 31 (86) | 28 (88) |
| Unclear | 3 (4) | 1 (3) | 1 (3) |
| Hierarchical | |||
| Yes | 18 (22) | 4 (11) | 10 (31) |
| No | 53 (65) | 27 (75) | 20 (63) |
| Partially | 7 (9) | 4 (11) | 0 (0) |
| Unclear | 3 (4) | 1 (3) | 2 (6) |
| Requires that a single cause of death be recorded | |||
| Yes | 64 (79) | 29 (81) | 23 (72) |
| No | 12 (15) | 6 (17) | 5 (16) |
| Unclear | 5 (6) | 1 (3) | 4 (13) |
| List of causes does not include FGR, IUGR or SGA | |||
| Yes | 65 (80) | 27 (75) | 28 (88) |
| No | 16 (20) | 9 (25) | 4 (13) |
| Allows associated factors to be recorded | |||
| Yes | 23 (28) | 13 (36) | 6 (19) |
| No | 57 (70) | 23 (64) | 25 (78) |
| Unclear | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) |
| Number of categories in top level | |||
| ≤ 10 | 67 (83) | 26 (72) | 28 (88) |
| > 10 | 14 (17) | 10 (28) | 4 (13) |
| Number of levels | |||
| > 1 | 44 (54) | 21 (58) | 17 (53) |
| 1 | 35 (43) | 15 (42) | 14 (44) |
| Unclear | 2 (3) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) |
| Used with verbal autopsy | 14 (17) | 0 (0) | 12 (38) |
| Maximum percent of deaths classified as "other" using this system | |||
| < 20 % | 39 (48) | 19 (53) | 17 (53) |
| ≥ 20 % | 10 (12) | 3 (8) | 6 (19) |
| No "other" category | 27 (33) | 12 (33) | 9 (28) |
| “Other” category but no data available | 5 (6) | 2 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Maximum percent of deaths classified as "unexplained" using this system | |||
| < 20 % | 25 (31) | 12 (33) | 13 (41) |
| ≥ 20 % | 38 (47) | 18 (50) | 14 (44) |
| No "unexplained" category | 11 (14) | 4 (11) | 4 (13) |
| “Unexplained” category but no data available | 7 (9) | 2 (6) | 1 (3) |
| Allows the type of data available for assigning COD to be recorded | 7 (9) | 7 (19) | 0 (0) |
| Allows recording the level of certainty of the data | 34 (42) | 19 (53) | 12 (38) |
| For systems including SB | 55 | 29 | 18 |
| Requires recording whether the stillbirth was antenatal vs intrapartum | |||
| Yes | 16 (29) | 8 (28) | 5 (28) |
| No | 14 (26) | 8 (28) | 5 (28) |
| Partially | 25 (46) | 13 (45) | 8 (44) |
| For systems including both SB and NND | 40 | 20 | 14 |
| Includes guidelines that require distinguishing between SB and NND | |||
| Yes | 13 (33) | 6 (30) | 5 (36) |
| No | 22 (55) | 12 (60) | 6 (43) |
| Unclear | 5 (13) | 2 (10) | 3 (21) |
| Has separate categories for SB and NND | |||
| Yes, all | 9 (23) | 2 (10) | 6 (43) |
| No | 11 (28) | 7 (35) | 2 (14) |
| Some | 20 (50) | 11 (55) | 6 (43) |
| For systems allowing associated factors to be recorded | 23 | 13 | 6 |
| Distinguishes associated factors from causes of death | |||
| Yes | 11 (48) | 6 (46) | 6 (67) |
| No | 10 (44) | 7 (54) | 1 (17) |
| Unclear | 9 (9) | 0 (0) | 1 (17) |
NOTE: Column percentages used. Due to rounding, totals may be slightly different from 100 %