I am afraid the press release below is the UK one, but it links to the project web site. Once on the website, in addition to the report itself, you can find the European press release and comments' from various participating countries' perspectives.

Alison


Alison Macfarlane
Department of Midwifery
City University London
20 Bartholomew Close
London EC1A 7QN
Phone (0) (44) 207 040 5832
Fax   (0) (44) 207 040 5717
Email [log in to unmask]



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Landmark report on fetal, infant and maternal health across 26 European countries shows wide variations but need for better data in the UK


At the launch of the EURO-PERISTAT European Perinatal Health Report 2008 on 11 December 2008, the UK research lead Professor Alison Macfarlane of City University London called for fuller data and greater harmonisation, including between the four countries of the UK. The Report is the most comprehensive analysis of fetal, infant and maternal health data in Europe to date and the first to bring together information from 103 data sources in 25 EU countries and Norway.

Promoting healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth is a goal of all European healthcare systems. Despite progress in recent decades, mothers and their babies are still very much at risk during the perinatal period, which covers pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum. The European Perinatal Health Report presents data showing wide variation between European countries in indicators of infant health, maternal health, childbirth practices, and the characteristics of childbearing women. Outcomes differ widely between the countries of Europe. No country tops every list. Understanding the reasons behind these differences can provide the insights needed for prevention and improvement. Despite the gaps, the data give a good picture of perinatal health in the UK in a European context.

Report highlights for the United Kingdom:

Need for harmonised data across Europe and the UK: different ways of recording data about perinatal health in Europe and in the four countries of the UK make comparisons difficult and could result in misleading conclusions about policies for maternity care.

Maternal age: the countries of the UK have relatively high proportions of mothers at both extremes of the age range (under 20 and over 35 years of age).

Stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates: are on the high side. This is linked to relatively high rates of low birthweight and preterm babies, which are in turn linked to substantial proportions of mothers in the oldest and youngest age groups. In England and Wales and in Scotland, stillbirth rates have remained on a similar level to those in the late 1990s, but unlike infant deaths, reductions in stillbirth rates are rarely included in public health campaigns.

Onset of labour: in eight of the 17 countries or regions with data, including England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, fewer than three quarters of women started labour spontaneously.

Method of delivery: relatively high rates of caesarian section and other operative births in the countries of the UK, compared with low rates in Nordic countries with good outcomes, raise questions about whether these levels of intervention are clinically necessary.



Alison Macfarlane from City University London has served as official representative from the United Kingdom, contributing valuable expertise and coordinating the collection of data on EURO-PERISTAT indicators from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.



Alison says:



"This report highlights the gaps in routine data in Europe in general and in the countries of the United Kingdom, particularly England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although advances have been made in the harmonisation of UK health statistics and further harmonisation is a priority for the new UK Statistics Authority, little progress has been made to date in data about maternity care.



"The variations within Europe raise questions about whether research evidence is being implemented in care of mothers and babies, who all want the best for their children. For example, the wide differences in caesarian rates are a cause for concern."



The landmark report was coordinated by the EURO-PERISTAT project with funding from the European Commission. EURO-PERISTAT's aim is to develop a perinatal health information system for monitoring and evaluating perinatal health on a European level. The European Perinatal Health Report takes a new approach to health reporting. Instead of comparing countries on single indicators like infant mortality (the 'report card' or 'league table' approach), it paints a fuller picture by presenting data about mortality, low birthweight and preterm birth alongside data about health care and other factors that can affect the outcome of pregnancy. It also illustrates differences in the ways that data are collected, and explains how these can affect comparisons between countries.

The publication of this European report coincides with the announcement by the Department of Health for England that it is creating a new National Quality Board. The new Board will publish an annual report comparing statistical indicators from the English health service with services in other countries. The European Perinatal Health Report illustrates both what can be learned from such an exercise and the challenges it presents.

Alison adds:

"The two indicators the government has chosen to monitor the quality of maternity care - the timing of the beginning of antenatal care and an indicator of breast feeding - were found to be poorly and inconsistently recorded in our report, thus calling into question the validity of these two indicators for international comparisons."

For further information, please contact Sadie Metherell: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>, 07898 642367.

- Ends -

Notes to editors


·         On December 11th 2008, the EURO-PERISTAT project released the European Perinatal Health Report "better statistics for better health for pregnant women and their babies" -. It can be downloaded for free in PDF version at http://www.europeristat.com<http://www.europeristat.com/>.

·         Funding support by the European Commission has been provided by the Directorate General for Health and Consumers and the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers
·         The EURO-PERISTAT project is coordinated by Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and the Institut de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) in Paris.

City University London

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