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Canadian
Perinatal Health Report 2000 |
Introduction | ||
Contributors | ||
Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System Steering Committee Members (2000) | ||
The State of Perinatal Health in Canada - An Overview | ||
Section A Determinants of Maternal, Fetal and Infant Health | ||
1. | Behaviours and Practices Prevalence of Prenatal Smoking Prevalence of Prenatal Alcohol Consumption Prevalence of Breastfeeding Rate of Live Births to Teenage Mothers Rate of Live Births to Older Mothers |
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2. | Health Services Labour Induction Rate Cesarean Section Rate Rate of Operative Vaginal Deliveries Rate of Trauma to the Perineum Rate of Early Maternal Discharge from Hospital after Childbirth Rate of Early Neonatal Discharge from Hospital after Birth |
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Section B Maternal, Fetal and Infant Health Outcomes | ||
3. | Maternal Health Outcomes Maternal Mortality Ratio Induced Abortion Ratio Ectopic Pregnancy Rate Severe Maternal Morbidity Ratio Rate of Maternal Readmission after Discharge following Childbirth |
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4. | Fetal and Infant Health Outcomes Preterm Birth Rate Postterm Birth Rate Fetal Growth: Small-for-Gestational-Age Rate, Large-for- Gestational-Age Rate Fetal and Infant Mortality Rates Severe Neonatal Morbidity Rate Multiple Birth Rate Prevalence of Congenital Anomalies Rate of Neonatal Hospital Readmission after Discharge at Birth |
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Bibliography | ||
Section C Appendices | ||
Appendix A: Data Sources and Methods Appendix B: List of Perinatal Health Indicators Appendix C: List of Acronyms Appendix D: Components of Fetal-Infant Mortality Appendix E: Data Tables Appendix F: Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System Publications (as of September 2000) Appendix G: Evaluation Form |
The Canadian Perinatal Health Report, 2000 is the first national surveillance report from the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (CPSS), and was produced by Health Canada's Bureau of Reproductive and Child Health and the CPSS Steering Committee. Together, the Bureau and the Steering Committee have developed the conceptual framework for the CPSS, identified appropriate perinatal health indicators and their data sources, and undertaken analysis and interpretation of the data. This report and subsequent national surveillance reports (to be released at regular intervals) will be complemented by the ongoing publication of fact sheets and peer-reviewed scientific papers.
The CPSS has prepared a companion document to this and future surveillance reports: Perinatal Health Indicators for Canada: A Resource Manual1. This manual, which provides information on the indicators being monitored by the CPSS, is intended as a reference guide for readers of this national surveillance report and for those undertaking perinatal health data collection, analysis, interpretation and response at provincial, territorial or regional levels.
Background
The Bureau of Reproductive and Child Health began the development
of the CPSS in 1995, as part of Health Canada's initiative to
fill gaps in national public health surveillance. The work of the
Canadian Perinatal Regionalization Coalition (now the Canadian
Perinatal Programs Coalition) on the development of a national
perinatal database was an important foundation for the CPSS. The
CPSS collaborates with Statistics Canada, the Canadian Institute
for Health Information (CIHI), provincial and territorial
governments, health professional organizations, advocacy groups and
university-based researchers. Representatives of these groups and
several international experts serve on the CPSS Steering Committee
and its study groups. The mission, principles and objectives of the
CPSS are described elsewhere.2,3
CPSS Conceptual Framework
The CPSS considers a health surveillance system to be a core system
of ongoing data collection, analysis and interpretation on vital
public health issues. The result is information that is used to
develop and evaluate interventions, with the aim of reducing health
disparities and promoting health.2 Figure I depicts the cycle of surveillance, adapted
from a conceptual framework described by Dr. Brian McCarthy,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,
Georgia.4
Overlying this concept of health surveillance is the concept of the determinants of health: that health status is influenced by a range of factors including, but not limited to, health care.5 Therefore, it is important to monitor not only health outcomes, but also factors - such as behaviours, physical and social environments, and health services - that may affect those outcomes. Health surveillance aims to contribute to improved health outcomes - that is the end point. However, information on trends and patterns in various risk and protective factors helps to explain patterns of morbidity and mortality, and may point the way to effective interventions and allocation of health resources that will improve outcomes. Monitoring of health determinants and monitoring of health outcomes go hand in hand in health surveillance systems.
CPSS Indicators
A health indicator is "a measurement that, when compared to
either a standard or desired level of achievement, provides
information regarding a health outcome or important health
determinant."2 The Bureau of Reproductive and Child
Health and the CPSS Steering Committee undertook a process to
identify the perinatal health indicators that should be monitored
by a national perinatal surveillance system.1 The group
considered the importance of the health outcome or determinant, the
scientific properties of the indicator, such as its validity in
measuring that outcome or determinant, and the feasibility of
collecting the data required to construct it. Appendix B contains
the set of indicators that resulted from this process. The first 43
indicators listed are ranked according to the Steering
Committee's assessment of health importance. Nine additional
indicators were added to the list after subsequent
consultations.
The principal data sources currently available for national perinatal health surveillance are described in Appendix A and in more detail in Perinatal Health Indicators for Canada. Using these available data sources (vital statistics, hospitalization data and national health surveys), the CPSS can report on only a subset of the indicators in Appendix B. The program is supporting efforts to improve existing databases and fill data gaps. This work, accompanied by ongoing developments in information technology and health information systems, will provide more perinatal health data at the national level, so that the number of indicators on which the CPSS can report will increase, as will our ability to understand and explain temporal trends and geographic and other disparities in the indicators.
Outline of the Report
This report contains information on 24 perinatal health indicators,
grouped as indicators of health determinants (behaviours and
practices and health services) and indicators of outcomes
(maternal, fetal and infant health). For each indicator,
surveillance results are presented, data limitations discussed and
key references listed. Statistics for each indicator consist mainly
of temporal trends at the national level and
interprovincial/territorial comparisons for the most recent year
for which data are available.
Summary
Perinatal health surveillance is a necessary component of managing
the health system to improve the health status of pregnant women,
mothers and infants in Canada. It is far more than a static
database for perinatal health. Rather, it comprises a dynamic,
integrated system of data collection, linkage, validation,
analysis, interpretation and reporting that permits timely
identification of "red flags," tracking of temporal
trends and geographic and other disparities, as well as assessment
of the effect of changes in clinical practice and public health
policy. Perinatal health surveillance provides both a measurement
tool (where we have been in the past, where we are at present) and
a stimulus to action (where we need to be in the future).
Michael
S. Kramer, MD Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Pediatrics McGill University Chairperson, CPSS Steering Committee |
Catherine McCourt, MD, MHA, FRCPC Director, Bureau of Reproductive and Child Health Centre for Healthy Human Development Public Health Agency of Canada Health Canada |
Canadian Perinatal Health
Report 2000
(2,004 KB) in PDF Format