PAHO launches virtual course on Maternal Near Miss available in Spanish

Washington, D.C., July 23, 2026 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through its Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH), is offering the virtual course "Vigilancia de la morbilidad materna de extrema gravedad (Near Miss Materno)", a free, self-paced, open-access training designed to strengthen the capacities of health professionals to identify, analyze, and prevent cases of severe maternal morbidity. The course is currently available in Spanish only.

Maternal Near Miss refers to a situation in which a woman experiences a life-threatening complication during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period but survives thanks to timely and quality health care. Monitoring these cases is a key strategy for improving the quality of obstetric care, strengthening health systems, and contributing to the reduction of maternal mortality.

"Every Maternal Near Miss case represents an opportunity to learn and improve the quality of care," said Susanne Serruya, unit chief, Life Course, Women's Health and Child Health at PAHO. "Strengthening surveillance, clinical audits, and the response capacity of health teams enables us to identify gaps in care before a complication results in a maternal death," she added.

Over four hours of training, the course combines theoretical content with interactive clinical case studies to help participants develop the skills needed to identify Maternal Near Miss cases, apply the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, implement surveillance and early warning systems, strengthen medical audit processes, and incorporate the use of the Perinatal Information System (SIP Plus) for case registration, follow-up, and continuous quality improvement.

Among its main objectives, the course aims to:

• Understand the importance of severe maternal morbidity surveillance in preventing maternal deaths.
• Identify the WHO clinical criteria used to determine a Maternal Near Miss case.
• Strengthen medical audit processes and adverse event analysis.
• Promote the implementation of early warning systems in obstetric care.
• Foster the use of the Perinatal Information System (SIP Plus) for surveillance and case follow-up.

The course is intended for nursing professionals, midwives, general practitioners, internists, obstetricians and gynecologists, as well as specialists in emergency medicine, anesthesiology, critical care, and intensive care. It is also recommended for health managers and members of maternal health audit committees.

Course format

The course is free of charge, fully online, self-paced, and open access. Participants may complete the activities at their own pace and according to their own schedules.

The course is organized into seven modules covering the fundamental concepts of Maternal Near Miss, the application of medical audits, early warning systems, and the use of the Perinatal Information System (SIP).

Upon completing all modules, participants may take the final examination. Those who pass the assessment and complete the Virtual Campus for Public Health quality survey will receive a certificate issued by the Pan American Health Organization.

This course is part of PAHO's commitment to the Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths initiative, which seeks to equip health professionals with practical tools to respond promptly, strengthen surveillance systems, and contribute to saving the lives of women across the Americas.

Registration is available here (course in Spanish only).