OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the completeness of the instruments for research of infant death at the municipal level. METHODS: Evaluative study, descriptive of completeness and degree of filling in the research forms of deaths of infants under one year of age, non-fetal, from Arapiraca, Alagoas (October 2009 to December 2010). For each variable, we calculated the percentage of completeness (Epi-Info v. 3.4.2) and degree of completion RESULTS: Of the 81 existing deaths, 54.32% were investigated through the home sheet and 8.64, 7.41 and 3.70% of the through outpatient, hospital and synthesis sheets, respectively. The overall degree of completion of each sheet was considered in bad form, ranging from 70.34% (outpatient) to 76.12% (home) CONCLUSION: The investigations of infant death were not performed satisfactorily, showing obstacles in the process of deploying the research sheets. Despite the small number of cases, the novelty regarding the evaluation of a new instrument can contribute to the legitimacy of surveillance of death in consolidation in the country.
health evaluation; evaluation of research of programs and tools; health information systems