assessment of the so called "avoidable factors" as in the Confidential Inquiry into Maternal Deaths.'4 This raises two problems. Firstly, the concept of avoidability, like that of causality, is highly subjective. Secondly, no one can know whether the absence of the "avoidable" factor would have prevented the death; indeed, the Northern region working party abandoned its search for "avoidable" f...

To the Editor: The maternal mortality rate (MMR) in South Africa was 400/100 000 births in 20051 and at Johannesburg Hospital was 476/100 000 in 2008. Delay in referral and management during labour in the unit is an important cause of mortality and morbidity.2 Inadequate use of the partogram is a major avoidable factor in maternal deaths in South Africa and has previously been studied at Johann...

Cervical cancer remains an important cause of avoidable morbidity and mortality in Hong Kong. This paper briefly reviews the epidemiology of cervical cancer and explores the evidence on the effectiveness of screening. The essential components of a successful cervical cancer screening programme, based on international experience, are discussed. The present situation in Hong Kong is then examined...

Severe hypernatraemia in a hospital population should be an avoidable problem. We have looked at its causes and incidence over one year and have shown that serious hypernatraemia (serum sodium greater than 160 mmol/l) as a manifestation of severe dehydration is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Failure to maintain adequate fluid intake, intentional or unintentional, was the most f...

Abstract Objectives: analyze neonatal mortality causes, highlighting the pteventable ones from 2008 to 2017, in Espírito Santo State and health regions. Methods: ecological study of temporal series on using data Mortality Information System Live Birth System. The death causes were classified based List Avoidable Causes Deaths due Interventions Brazilian Health tendency was analyzed linear regre...