"The original targets for these Goals were a two-thirds reduction in the mortality of children under 5 and a three-quarters reduction in the maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2015. There is worldwide consensus that, in order to reach these targets, good-quality essential services must be integrated into strong health systems. The addition in 2007 of a new target in Goal 5--universal access to reproductive health by 2015--reinforces this consensus: all people should have access to essential maternal, newborn, child and reproductive health services provided in a continuum of care. In order to reduce maternal mortality, Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) must be available and accessible to all women. While all aspects of reproductive health care including family planning and delivery with the help of a skilled health professional also plays an important role in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, this handbook focuses on the critical role of EmOC in saving the lives of women with obstetric complications during pregnancy and childbirth and saving the lives of newborns intrapartum. The handbook describes indicators that can be used to assess, monitor and evaluate the availability, use and quality of EmOC." - p. vi

This handbook describes indicators that can be used to assess, monitor and evaluate the availability, use and quality of Emergency Obstetric Care. These emergency obstetric care indicators can be used to measure progress in a programmatic continuum: from the availability of and access to emergency obstetric care to the use and quality of those services.