Needs Statement

The Child Death Review process reviews all non-natural deaths in their area and identifies gaps in health care or poor social conditions that offer opportunities for change. Reviewing all deaths that qualify can identify trends or rising rates by cause of death or age. Pediatricians are vital members of the CDR teams as they are the experts on child development, age-appropriate behavior and normal physical findings. Pediatricians may not be aware of the Child Death Review process, may not understand their importance in the process, and may not know how to become involved. The purpose of this session is to inform pediatricians of the valuable contributions to individual community health as well as influence important national initiatives to prevent unnecessary childhood deaths they can make by being a member of a Child Death Review team.