FIMR is a community-oriented process that reviews the circumstances surrounding a fetal or infant death to improve the health and safety of the community. This page contains key materials for understanding FIMR principles, models, confidentiality, roles of team members and provides guidance on conducting effective review meetings.
The Operating Principles of Fetal Infant Mortality Review
Ensuring that all babies survive and thrive should be the concern of the whole community; it is an issue too multidimensional for responsibility to rest in any one place. Fetal and infant deaths are sentinel events that illustrate system and resource issues. Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) teams are diverse, multidisciplinary groups of professionals who come together to examine de-identified individual cases of fetal and infant deaths to understand the “how” and “why” surrounding the death to prevent future deaths. The parent/family interview includes the voices of those who have lost an infant and offers information not available through routine quantitative methods, equipping teams to make more effective community recommendations. Reviews lead to identification of local factors contributing to fetal and infant mortality. View the FIMR Logic Model in PDF or editable PowerPoint format.
The purpose of the FIMR process is to identify and take action to prevent a wide range of local social, economic, public health, education, environmental, and safety factors that contribute to the tragedy of fetal and infant loss. Systematic review of individual cases leads teams to make recommendations and to develop and implement innovative local actions that improve systems of care, services, and resources for women, infants, and families. Learn more about FIMR’s seven primary objectives
FIMR Models
There are different approaches used by teams around the country to conduct fetal and infant death reviews. Most reviews are conducted at the local level. There are certain basic steps that, if followed, will help lead to complete and thorough reviews that address the systems and services issues involved in fetal and infant deaths.
The Operating Principles of Fetal Infant Mortality Review
Ensuring that all babies survive and thrive should be the concern of the whole community; it is an issue too multidimensional for responsibility to rest in any one place. Fetal and infant deaths are sentinel events that illustrate system and resource issues. Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) teams are diverse, multidisciplinary groups of professionals who come together to examine de-identified individual cases of fetal and infant deaths to understand the “how” and “why” surrounding the death to prevent future deaths. The parent/family interview includes the voices of those who have lost an infant and offers information not available through routine quantitative methods, equipping teams to make more effective community recommendations. Reviews lead to identification of local factors contributing to fetal and infant mortality.
The purpose of the FIMR process is to identify and take action to prevent a wide range of local social, economic, public health, education, environmental, and safety factors that contribute to the tragedy of fetal and infant loss. Systematic review of individual cases leads teams to make recommendations and to develop and implement innovative local actions that improve systems of care, services, and resources for women, infants, and families. Learn more about FIMR’s seven primary objectives