Infant and Child Death Review (ICDR)

The review process supports case investigations while also informing public health strategies, policy recommendations, and prevention efforts to reduce future fatalities.

Source: Adapted from Fraser J, Sleap V, Sidebotham P. Child death review statutory and operational guidance: maximizing learning from child deaths. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2020;105(4):315-8.

What Cases Does the ICDR Review?

In South Dakota, the ICDR committees review only the deaths of infants and children who were born and discharged from the hospital.

• They do not review deaths of infants who were born, never left the hospital, and died before discharge.
• The review process focuses on preventable causes of death, such as:
  • Unsafe sleep environments
  • Congenital conditions
  • Maternal health risks

Data Insight: Percentage of infant deaths reviewed by the ICDR committees versus all SD infant deaths (2019-2023).

ICDR Committees & Structure

There are two regional ICDR committees in South Dakota:

• East River ICDR: Reviews deaths in the 44 counties east of the Missouri River.
• West River ICDR: Reviews deaths in the 22 counties west of the Missouri River.

Both teams include professionals from:

• Law enforcement
• Child Protection Services
• Hospital staff & emergency medical services
• Behavioral health experts
• Forensic pathology
• Tribal health organizations

Confidentiality & Ethical Standards

The ICDR operates under strict confidentiality protocols, ensuring that sensitive information is used solely to improve the health and safety of South Dakota’s infants and children.

Through data-driven insights and collaboration, the ICDR transforms tragic losses into meaningful action, strengthening community-wide efforts to protect children’s lives.

How the ICDR Uses Data for Prevention

Since 2012, South Dakota has used the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS) to collect data from reviewed cases. This system is the same tool supporting CDR and FIMR teams across the country, allowing South Dakota to:

• Analyze data
• Identify patterns
• Understand risk factors
• Develop actionable prevention efforts

ICDR & Statewide Coordination

The statewide advisory committee meets annually to review findings and recommend strategies to reduce infant and child mortality.

Recognizing the overlap in risk factors across pregnancy-associated, infant, and child deaths, the South Dakota Department of Health has consolidated its death review efforts under a single framework—Prevention Services—to ensure: ✔ A coordinated approach to data analysis ✔ Stronger prevention initiatives ✔ More effective policy recommendations

Coordinator: The Prevention Services Manager, Abhinav Datti (Abhinav.datti@state.sd.us), oversees both ICDRs as well as the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC), ensuring a comprehensive, data-driven approach to addressing shared risk factors.

How ICDR Data Translates into Prevention Efforts

Findings from ICDR case reviews contribute to statewide prevention efforts, ensuring that lessons learned from past deaths are used to protect future infants and children.

ICDR Data Supports:

• The safe-sleep initiatives in South Dakota:
  • Client-Centered Safe Sleep Infographic - Wake Safe
  • Client-Centered Safe Sleep Spanish Infographic - Wake Safe
  • Provider-Centered Safe Sleep Infographic - Wake Safe
• Maternal health initiatives
• Public health policies to reduce disparities

ICDR Reports & Infographics: Provide data-driven recommendations for policymakers.

Ongoing Updates: South Dakota continues to publish updated reports based on the latest infant and child mortality data to guide prevention strategies.

Explore the Data

For a deep dive into the data, explore the South Dakota Infant Mortality Dashboard.