Classification system for causes of perinatal deaths

To test the recently developed classification system for causes of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in data-rich settings (high-income and upper-middle income countries).

Objectives:

1. To test a new system that combines key features of best performing HIC classification systems into a single system that reflects recent research:

Ensuring alignment with the principles of the newly developed ICD-PM
Reflecting expert-consensus characteristics of an effective global system
Reflecting our analysis of systems currently in use and their alignment with the critical characteristics
Incorporating recent findings on placental contributors to death
2. Fine-tune the classification system and data collection tool by classifying 20 cases by the Australian and Netherlands team.
3. Refine the system and data collection tool such that it is ready for wide-scale performance testing across 10 countries.
4. Following fine-tuning, test the system on 1000 cases (250 stillbirths and 250 neonatal deaths) across all 10 country groups independently classified by five multidisciplinary panels. Of these 1000 cases, 200 will be tested in all teams to measure agreement of the system.
5. Refine the system prior to global adoption.