Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR)
Tarrant County Fetal Infant Mortality Review:
Reducing Infant Mortality One Community at a Time
BACKGROUND:
The National Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (NFIMR) is a collaborative effort between the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the federal
Maternal and Child Health Bureau. NFIMR serves as a national resource center for state and local fetal and infant mortality.
TARRANT COUNTY FETAL INFANT MORTALITY REVIEW (TCFIMR)
Tarrant County's Fetal Infant Mortality Review (TCFIMR) program was developed in 2007 and uses the NFIMR model. The infant mortality rate in Tarrant County has been increasing since 2000 and is currently at 7.6 deaths per 1,000 live births (year 2006), which is higher that state and national rates, and much higher than the national Healthy People 2010 goal of 4.5 per 1,000.
The Case Review Team (CRT) has been meeting since June 2008. The CRT includes a mix of professionals and representatives of various agencies that provide services or community resources for families in Tarrant County. Each month the team examines "de-identified" findings from record reviews and interviews with families affected by infant mortality. The infant deaths that are reviewed by the CRT are are selected using a systematic random sampling method.
Goal:
Bring community members together to examine social, economic, cultural, safety and health systems factors associated with fetal and infant mortality. Through TCFIMR, the community becomes expert in recommending policy changes and specific interventions to better serve families and the community as a whole.
Findings of TCFIMR CRT
Based on the 24 infant deaths reviewed by the TCFIMR case review team, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were identified as an intervention focus area for the community action team. See the link to the Findings of the Fetal Infant Mortality Review Tarrant County, 2009.
Infant Mortality Reports:
