title: How useful are child death reviews: a local area's perspective.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Child Death Overview Panels (CDOP) provide a multidisciplinary and confidential forum to learn from and reduce deaths in those under 18 years. How well they perform and how to improve their effectiveness is a question posed at both local and national levels in England. With this in mind, this study looked at the child death review process in two London boroughs with a joint CDOP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data on cases reviewed from April 2008 to January 2011 were analysed focusing on cause of death and modifiable factors. Key stakeholders involved in the child death review process were interviewed regarding the effectiveness of the local death review process with responses analysed thematically.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current process is bureaucratic, should better address neonatal deaths and needs more focus on implementing recommendations. Solutions include simpler forms, neonates-only subgroups, and linking recommendations to strategic initiatives such as Health and Wellbeing Boards.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mazzola
authors.forename: Abdu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohiddin
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holdsworth
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology
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