CPSS Evaluation - 2005

Introduction:

The Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (CPSS) was established in 1995, as part of Health Canada’s initiative to strengthen national health surveillance capacity. The CPSS is now a core program of the Public Health Agency of Canada, operated by the Maternal and Infant Health Section of the Health Surveillance and Epidemiology Division, Centre for Health Promotion. On the occasion of the program’s 10th anniversary, in the spirit of public accountability and to aid in planning for the future, the section undertook a formal evaluation of the program. The objectives of the evaluation were to:

• Assess the performance of the CPSS in relation to general principles of perinatal surveillance
• Identify successes, deficiencies, gaps and opportunities in relation to CPSS program objectives and the Canadian context
• Make recommendations to facilitate strategic planning.

The evaluation took place between January and December 2005. An internal evaluation team comprising section staff and CPSS Steering Committee members reviewed the activities of the CPSS over the previous 10 years and produced the document The Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System 10 Years Later. The internal evaluation team also carried out a CPSS publications users survey to elicit feedback from the perinatal community in Canada. The internal team provided these reports and other background documents to a team of 3 external evaluators who are content and context experts in perinatal surveillance, not affiliated with the CPSS: Rebecca Attenborough from Canada and Russell Kirby and Nigel Paneth from the US.

The Maternal and Infant Health Section and the CPSS Steering Committee are grateful to all the respondents to the users survey and to the external evaluators for their contributions. We are using the results of this comprehensive evaluation to guide improvements in the CPSS and to help us plan for the next several years of the program.

The CPSS Evaluation Reports:

• The Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System 10 Years Later
• CPSS External Evaluators’ Report
• About the External Evaluators of the CPSS - 2005
• Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (CPSS) Publications User Survey