Table 1.
Methods used to identify, document, and review maternal deaths in enhanced surveillance system of each country
| Denmark | Finland | France | Italy | Netherlands | Norway | Slovakia | UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identification of cases | ||||||||
| Death certificate content | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pregnancy checkbox in death certificate | - | - | Yes | Yes | - | - | Yes | Scotland only |
| Linkage of deaths and birth registers | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linkage of deaths and pregnancy loss registers | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | - |
| Linkage of death register and hospital discharge database | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - | Yes |
| Direct notification | Voluntary | Voluntary | Voluntary | Mandatory | Mandatory | Voluntary | Mandatory | Mandatory |
| Documentation of each case, information source | ||||||||
| Content of death certificate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content of birth certificate | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | - |
| ICD-10 codes/procedure codes from hospital discharge data | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - | - |
| Copy of medical records | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Confidential enquiry | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review of cases | ||||||||
| National committee | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ICD-MM definition of maternal death | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced surveillance for maternal deaths up to 1 year* | - | - | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes |
| Funding | ||||||||
| Specific funding to run system | Partly by Danish Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists | No | Yes—from National Public Health Agency | Yes—from National Health Institute | No | No | No | Yes—from Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership† |
*
No case identification after 42 days in Denmark and Slovakia; no linkage for case identification in Netherlands; no case review by national committee of late pregnancy associated deaths in Finland, Italy, and Norway.
†
On behalf of NHS England, NHS Wales, the Health and Social Care Division of the Scottish Government, the Northern Ireland Department of Health, and the States of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.