Fetal and infant mortality review: Empowering community to take action after infant death

This eight minute DVD provides an overview of the Fetal and Infant Mortality (FIMR) process, examples of success, and resources to implement a FIMR in any community. Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) is a public health process to examine selected infant deaths. The overall goal of fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) methodology is to enhance the health and well-being of women, infants and families by improving the community resources and service delivery systems available to them. Community based FIMR is an action-oriented continuous quality improvement process that is playing a significant role in building community partnerships, understanding community issues and developing culturally sensitive interventions. In the recent national evaluation of the FIMR process, Johns Hopkins University described FIMR as a valuable public health tool and an effective perinatal systems intervention. Today, there are about 200 FIMR programs located in 40 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The National Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (NFIMR) Program Resource Center is responsible for marketing the FIMR methodology to additional local communities, states and national organization. In these times when “the medium is the message”, NFIMR has only been able to develop print materials that extol the benefits of FIMR. This video is produced with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Health Video Communications and Distance Learning Center.