[Can implementation of intensified perinatal survey be effective in improving the quality of perinatal care?]

Intensive scientific research and rapid technical progress have influenced the rapid fall in term newborn mortality. At the same time new problems have arisen such as saving the lives of infants with low and very low birth weight. Solving these problems needs reorganization of perinatal care, better equipment, especially in reference units and in outpatient clinics, as well as more intensive staff training.

to obtain information whether implementation of intensified perinatal survey of fetus and newborn mortality can improve the quality of perinatal care in Poland.

Implementation of the survey based on Central Statistics Office (GUS) data, Ministry of Health MZ-29 section X Document and the author's own studies.

In the year 2008 newborn with birth weight less than 2500 g, constituted 6,06% liveborn infants, newborn weighing from 1000 to 2499 g - 5%, those with weight from 500 to 999 g - 0.51% of all live born infants. These figures differ according to voivodeship. The intensive survey concerning birth weight and perinatal mortality indeces in voivodeshipPoland, as well as in individual voivodeships, showed differences between data from the Central Statistics Office and data from the Ministry of Health MZ-29 document. This may be due to different methods of registrating newborn deaths eg. newborns transfered in the first weekoflife from the maternity ward to intensive care neonatal ward or to other specialistic departaments. Another reason for the difference may be discharge of the newborn data according to the place of birth or the mother's place of permanent domicile registration. This causes disturbances in flow of infomation resulting in ineffective analysis of perinatal mortality and of perinatal care evaluation. In the ongoing analysis it was found that in Poland stillbirths occur twice as often as perinatal deaths (4.3 per thousands) stillbirths and 2.15 per thousands perinatal deaths), with significant differences between voivodeships. This makes it obligatory to conduct medical audit which is a form of specialistic supervision. It is probable that higher number of stillbirths and premature births may be caused by late start of perinatal care in pregnancy. In primary health care, insufficient objective parameters are investigated which lead to assessment of the quality of perinatal care. Correct filling up of the pregnancy chart could improve the quality of the management of prophylactic procedures leading to a fall in the number of premature births and stillbirths. This would also lead to a reduction of costs associated with life saving procedures and improving the quality of life in newborns with low and extremly low birth weight.

1. The survey of fetal and newborn perinatal mortality of fetuses and newborn should be the base for elaborating the perinatal care programme as well as the main source of data for medical audit. This is the instrument for evaluation of the three level perinatal care. It also serves to assess the effectivness of diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations and the programme of active prevention. 2. In order to obtain effectivness in functioning of the three step perinatal care within the framework of the National Health Programme the following steps are needed: - urgent elaboration of new or improved medical documentation which will become obligatory, - implementation of educational programmes and training of teachers. 3. Implementation of medical audit, carried out periodically at all three levels of perinatal care.