To enhance surveillance of mothers’ and babies’ health in Europe, EURO-PERISTAT has sought to build links with other research projects and networks that are adding to our knowledge about perinatal health.
While birth registers are a key source of data for the surveillance of perinatal health, these sources are less well adapted for the study of some specific health problems, including cerebral palsy, congenital anomalies and the longer term outcomes of very preterm infants. In these areas, specific registers are required to insure case ascertainment. Furthermore, data outside of the perinatal period are required. For cerebral palsy, for example, data are needed at age 5.
Reporting on perinatal health in Europe thus requires collaboration with other European projects. The following European initiatives collaborated on producing the European Perinatal Health Report issued in 2008.
SCPE
SCPE, the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe network includes 22 centres from 16 countries. The aims of the SCPE network are to monitor trends in CP rates and to provide a framework for collaborative research.
EUROCAT
EUROCAT is a collaborative network of population-based registries for the epidemiologic surveillance of congenital anomalies in Europe. Started in 1979, it is the first European public health surveillance network. In 2008, it included registries from 20 European countries. Member registries regularly transmit data covering more than 25% of all births in Europe.
EuroNeoStat
EuroNeoStat is a project funded by the European Commission intended to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality, to improve both the safety of very-high-risk preterm babies and their health status at 2 years, and to detect any inequalities that might exist within and between countries.
ROAM
ROAM, Reproductive Outcomes and Migration is an international research collaboration currently consisting of 33 researchers from 13 countries. Although all aspects of migrant women’s reproductive health are of interest to ROAM, the collaboration has begun its work by focusing on perinatal health.
EPEN
EPEN, the European Perinatal Epidemiology Network is for researchers and clinicians working in Europe in perinatal epidemiology and the evaluation of maternity and neonatal care, including issues related to their wider and long term impact. For more information, contact: Alison Macfarlane