Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37391688›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2023

Ending preventable stillbirths and improving bereavement care: a scorecard for high- and upper-middle income countries.

Esti Charlotte de Graaff, Susannah Hopkins Leisher, Hannah Blencowe, Harriet Lawford, Jillian Cassidy, Paul Richard Cassidy, Elizabeth S Draper, Alexander E P Heazell, Mary Kinney, Paula Quigley and 5 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. A Core Outcome Set for Stillbirth Care: An International Consensus Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 9 institutions in 5 countries.

Esti Charlotte de GraaffMater Research Institute, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Susannah Hopkins LeisherMater Research Institute, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Hannah BlencoweCentre for Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive and Child Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Harriet LawfordMater Research Institute, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Jillian CassidyAsociación Umamanita, Girona, Spain.
Paul Richard CassidyAsociación Umamanita, Girona, Spain.
Elizabeth S DraperMBRRACE-UK, Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Alexander E P HeazellMaternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Mary KinneySchool of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Belville, South Africa.
Paula QuigleyInternational Stillbirth Alliance, Millburn, USA.
Claudia RavaldiPeaRL Perinatal Research Laboratory, CiaoLapo Foundation for Perinatal Health, Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Claire StoreyInternational Stillbirth Alliance, Millburn, USA.
Alfredo VannacciPeaRL Perinatal Research Laboratory, CiaoLapo Foundation for Perinatal Health, Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
E. P. S. in High-Resource Countries Scorecard Collaboration Group
Vicki FlenadyMater Research Institute, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. vicki.flenady@mater.uq.edu.au.
Health Alliance International · USMater Research · AUUniversity of Florence · ITLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBNational Health and Medical Research Council · AUThe University of Queensland · AUUniversity of Leicester · GBUniversity of Manchester · GBUniversity of the Western Cape · ZA

Funding

NHMRC 2021 Investigator Grant 2010136NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence Grant APP2006523
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite progress, stillbirth rates in many high- and upper-middle income countries remain high, and the majority of these deaths are preventable. We introduce the Ending Preventable Stillbirths (EPS) Scorecard for High- and Upper Middle-Income Countries, a tool to track progress against the Lancet's 2016 EPS Series Call to Action, fostering transparency, consistency and accountability.

methodsThe Scorecard for EPS in High- and Upper-Middle Income Countries was adapted from the Scorecard for EPS in Low-Income Countries, which includes 20 indicators to track progress against the eight Call to Action targets. The Scorecard for High- and Upper-Middle Income Countries includes 23 indicators tracking progress against these same Call to Action targets. For this inaugural version of the Scorecard, 13 high- and upper-middle income countries supplied data. Data were collated and compared between and within countries.

resultsData were complete for 15 of 23 indicators (65%). Five key issues were identified: (1) there is wide variation in stillbirth rates and related perinatal outcomes, (2) definitions of stillbirth and related perinatal outcomes vary widely across countries, (3) data on key risk factors for stillbirth are often missing and equity is not consistently tracked, (4) most countries lack guidelines and targets for critical areas for stillbirth prevention and care after stillbirth and have not set a national stillbirth rate target, and (5) most countries do not have mechanisms in place for reduction of stigma or guidelines around bereavement care.

conclusionsThis inaugural version of the Scorecard for High- and Upper-Middle Income Countries highlights important gaps in performance indicators for stillbirth both between and within countries. The Scorecard provides a basis for future assessment of progress and can be used to help hold individual countries accountable, especially for reducing stillbirth inequities in disadvantaged groups.

Indexed as

BereavementStillbirthDeveloping CountriesFemaleHumansPregnancyRisk FactorsAccountabilityBereavementDataEquityHigh-income countriesHigh-resource settingPerformance indicatorsScorecardStigmaStillbirth

Identifiers

PMID37391688
PMCPMC10311809
OpenAlexW4382777656

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.