BMJ Global Health (Oct 2022)

Building a network of sentinel centres for the care of women in an abortion situation: advances in Latin America and the Caribbean

  • ,
  • Luis Salas,
  • Lucia Santana,
  • Rodolfo Gomez Ponce de Leon,
  • Luiz Francisco Baccaro,
  • Rigoberto Castro,
  • Gonzalo Rubio Schweizer,
  • Valeria Bahamondes,
  • Analia Messina,
  • Luis Andres de Francisco,
  • Suzanne Serruya Jacob,
  • Edgardo Daniel Boiza,
  • Gonzalo Nicolás Guzmán,
  • Fernando Daverio,
  • Marina Eve Cabral,
  • Graciela Lukin,
  • Osvaldo Santiago,
  • Pablo Andres Salgado,
  • Mirko Gorena,
  • Vianca Soledad Valdez,
  • Igor Pardo,
  • Vivien Torrez,
  • Elvio Jesus,
  • Fernandez Estrada,
  • Jose Luis,
  • Barriga Vera,
  • Amanda Moreno,
  • Jairo Yassir,
  • Elaine Moises,
  • Fábio Cabar,
  • Francisco José,
  • Franco Godoi,
  • Luiz Francisco,
  • Cintra Baccaro,
  • Caio Prado,
  • Elaine Christine,
  • Dantas Moisés,
  • Gonzalo Rubio Schweizer,
  • Diane Gutiérrez Cabrera,
  • Francisca Solar,
  • Paola Paladines,
  • Jorge Caro,
  • Oscar Fernando,
  • Marroquin Ortega,
  • Ruth Merida Peralta,
  • Angela Jimenez,
  • Juan Fernando Alviar,
  • Cristina Villareal,
  • Luz Forrero Martínez,
  • Karen Menjivar,
  • Cecilia Elizabeth,
  • Ceron Alfaro,
  • Diana Lizeth Gaido,
  • Jose Martin,
  • Rendon Ramirez,
  • Allan Stefan Shedden,
  • Marco Antonio Jimenez,
  • Joel Fortin,
  • Jerry F Amaya,
  • Mauricio Rodriguez Amador,
  • Jorge Espinosa,
  • Raul Bravo,
  • Juan Carlos Ferreira,
  • Ruben Ruttia,
  • Hugo Rios,
  • Edgard Ramírez,
  • Victor Raul,
  • Vitancio Vasquez,
  • Magda Lopez Dextre,
  • Homero Mejia Chavez,
  • Enrique Guevara Rios,
  • Irma Allahui Ortiz,
  • Fresia Clemencia,
  • Rotta Quintros,
  • Antonio Mambert,
  • Luna Figueroa,
  • Carlos Francisco Aliaga,
  • Amadeo Sanchez Gongora,
  • Aneudy Patiño,
  • Yuderkis Moreno Ramírez,
  • Jocelyn Sanchez,
  • Odalis Henriquez,
  • Erika Saint Hilaire

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010059
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 10

Abstract

Read online

Previous reports have already estimated the overall number of abortions and the number of unsafe abortions in Latin America. Conversely, there are few reliable data from this region to inform public policies aiming to meet women’s needs. In this context, the Latin American Centre of Perinatology (Centro Latinoamericano de Perinatología (CLAP)) created a network specialising in the care of women in an abortion situation (CLAP MUSA-Network) in an attempt to strengthen healthcare surveillance in Latin America by using the Perinatal Information System (Sistema Informático Perinatal (SIP)). This system was developed by the CLAP with a special module named SIP Abortion (SIP-A), a data collection tool designed by Latin American experts to be routinely used in cases of legal and incomplete abortions. The SIP-A follows the standards established by WHO, allowing investigators to systematise information, generate local reports and monitor changes after training and follow-up interventions based on national guidelines. This network promotes collaborative work between institutions to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, cooperative investigation and development of a critical mass of professionals skilled in sexual and reproductive health. Currently, 29 sentinel centres from 13 countries jointly work exchanging information to improve surveillance of healthcare indicators of women in an abortion situation. Latin America was the first region in the world to have a network of sentinel centres that continuously monitors healthcare provision to these women. Data collected by this network are already being used to design, implement and evaluate public policies.