The main aims of a mortality review are to:
- Obtain data on the number of deaths and calculate the mortality rates.
- Identify the main cause of death as well as contributing causes.
- Identify any modifiable factors.
- Decide whether the child received good management.
- Allow all the staff involved with child care to contribute to the discussion.
- Discuss ways that both causes can be avoided and modifiable factors corrected.
- Use the discussion to teach. Getting the staff to identify the clinical and management problems is a very effective way of learning.
- Providing feedback on changes in the frequency of causes and modifiable factors, i.e. Are we making a difference?
The main aims of mortality reviews are to identify problems and find answers.
An important part of the mortality review is the mortality meeting. Mortality meetings should be well organised and well managed.