Foundational skills needed to begin the development, implementation and ongoing improvement of a congenital anomalies surveillance programme, in particular for countries with limited resources. This World Health Organisation guide focuses on the methodology needed to develop population-based and hospital based surveillance programmes.

The specific examples used in the guide are typically severe enough that they would likely be captured within the first few days after birth, have a significant public health impact, and, for some examples, have the potential for primary prevention.