The WHO application of ICD-10 to deaths during the perinatal period: ICD-PM
Overview
With more than 5 million perinatal deaths occurring globally each year, ending preventable
stillbirths and neonatal deaths will continue to form a significant part of the international
public health agenda beyond 2015.
The Every Newborn Action Plan clearly highlights
that we will get a triple return on our investment if we focus on high coverage of care
during birth and in the immediate neonatal period, resulting in saving the lives of both
mothers and babies, alongside the prevention of stillbirth. In the regions with the highest
mortality burden, perinatal deaths are poorly recorded and are therefore most likely to be
unaccounted for.
The first step in targeting programmes that address perinatal mortality
is the accurate capture and classification of the causes of those deaths across all settings,
using a globally applicable and comparable system.
The WHO application of ICD-10 to deaths during the perinatal period: ICD-perinatal
mortality (ICD-PM) is modelled on The WHO application of ICD-10 to deaths during
pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium: ICD-maternal mortality (ICD-MM). ICD-PM,
in the same vein as ICD-MM, is based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) and its coding rules.
It is
intended to facilitate the consistent collection, analysis and interpretation of information
on perinatal deaths. Improved reporting will also facilitate the coding of conditions.
This document presents:
• a brief summary of the development of this guide;
• a grouping system for identification of perinatal deaths using existing ICD-10 codes,
which countries can immediately implement.