Program note: Using UN process indicators to assess needs in emergency obstetric services: Bolivia, El Salvador and Honduras

The UN process indicators are used to assess the availability, utilization and quality of emergency obstetric care (EmOC). Needs assessments for EmOC in Bolivia, Et Salvador and Honduras show reasonable availability of comprehensive EmOC facilities for their population sizes, but a scarcity of basic facilities. Utilization rates among women with obstetric complications are high in El Salvador and Honduras. Case fatality rates tend to be below 1% in all three countries, but the more rural areas in each have poorer indicators. 2005 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.