[Statistical process control charts in perinatal mortality surveillance].

OBJECTIVE Applying statistical process control (SPC) charts in perinatal mortality surveillance (as an epidemiological indicator). METHOD The control charts were prepared using 51,840 births; 286 cases were produced from these births. All information came from SUSALUD between January 2004 and December 2007. Two control charts are presented; the first one's central line was considered to be the proportion of cases + 3 SD and the second one used the logits from the percentages of cases. RESULTS Two control charts were prepared for monitoring perinatal mortality. The first considered the percentage of cases per month and an average of five cases per one thousand births was obtained (p=0.005). The logits were used for the second chart. CONCLUSIONS Having SPC charts available for monitoring and analysing perinatal mortality will allow changes in service quality to be quickly detected and let aspects regarding the quality of the service being provided for mothers and the newborn to be evaluated. Specific interventions can also be programmed.