Queensland Perinatal Data Collection (QLD PDC)
Midwives complete a notification form for all births in QLD within the scope of the collection.
Perinatal Data Collection forms are forwarded to Queensland Health by public hospitals, private hospitals, and homebirth practitioners or in the case of hospitals using electronic systems, an extract is provided. The Statistical Collections and Integration Unit (previously Data Collections Unit) encourages that wherever possible midwives complete the forms and suggests that the forms be considered an essential part of the midwives’ summary. For homebirths, the responsibility for the completion and return of the forms rests with homebirth practitioners.
The Health Act 1937–1988 was replaced by the Public Health Act 2005. A requirement for the collection of Perinatal Statistics (Chapter 6, Part 1) includes that perinatal data be provided to the Chief Executive of Queensland Health for every baby born in Queensland. The QLD PDC commenced in November 1986.
The QLD PDC includes all live births and stillbirths of at least 20 weeks gestation and/or at least 400 grams in weight. Information relating to neonatal morbidity is collected up until the baby is discharged from the birth admission or up until the baby reaches 28 days of age. The collection includes the births that occurred in Queensland and were reported to the Perinatal Data Collection. Births that occurred outside Queensland where the mother’s usual residence is Queensland are not included. Births that occurred in Queensland where the mother’s usual residence was overseas or interstate are included. This perinatal data collection ceases at the point of separation, transfer or death of the baby.
The collection was established to provide a basic source of information for research into obstetric and neonatal care, and to assist with the planning of Queensland’s health services. It enables monitoring of neonatal morbidity and congenital anomalies. Changes are routinely introduced to the collection on a financial year basis. Calendar year publications will reflect these changes as far as possible.
The quality of information produced from the QPDC depends on the accurate, consistent and timely completion of the forms. Completion of forms and electronic extracts are validated and queries related to missing, contradictory or ambiguous data are directed back to the hospital or independent practitioner.
The Statistical Collections and Integration Unit runs a series of input editing checks on the data to check unusual and incomplete data items. These checks include data entry checks, coding checks, validation queries for internal and external purposes and quarterly queries for unusual, ambiguous or incomplete data items. Additional quality checks to ensure ascertainment is complete are conducted continually using data linkage practices.
Data are available on request from the Statistical Reporting and Coordination Unit. The release of data is governed by patient confidentiality legislation in the
Public Health Act 2005. Requests for data should be made via email to
HlthStat@health.qld.gov.au or by phoning (07) 3708 5702. In some instances charges may apply.
The
Perinatal Statistics report is available online. Appendix A of the report includes a list of unpublished data available from the QLD PDC.
There is a guideline available for the midwife/homebirth practitioner completing the Perinatal Data Collection Form. The Queensland Perinatal Data Collection Form (MR63D) collected antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum data. Two editions of the Obstetric Summary and Neonatal Notes (MR63D) forms were used in 2009. There are definitions of terms available in the explanatory notes of the Perinatal Statistics report.