Child mortality rates in Ireland could be lower if more information were centralised, a report by the National Paediatric Mortality Register has concluded. 

Currently, there is no centralised database in Ireland relating to child deaths and the register's chair, Professor Michael Barrett, feels one would help doctors understand their patients better. 

“The whole purpose of making these recommendations is that we can prevent avoidable deaths happening in children into the future,” he said. 

“Also, in those circumstances in which death is inevitable, we can make young people’s lives as comfortable as possible by making evidence-based recommendations.” 

Downward trend

Between 2019 and 2021, 892 children died in Ireland - half the figure from 2007. 

However, Professor Barrett said the figure could be reduced further if all the necessary information could be accessed in one place. 

“There are lots of circumstances detailed in this report about why young patients die,” he said. 

“It may be due to a congenital issue, it may be due to prematurity and there’s very specific questions that need answering in order for us to understand the learnings and also make recommendations so that we can prevent these [from] happening in the future.” 

In 2020, Ireland’s infant mortality rate stood at 3.1 per 1,000 live births - down from 6.2 in 2000.