AIMS
To develop a national register of obstetric care in the Maltese Islands.
To collect, store, retrieve, analyse and disseminate national aggregated obstetric data regarding the mother, delivery and birth.
To provide obstetricians, managers, health educators and non-medical professionals with accurate and timely feedback on aggregated obstetric events of interest. This information is based on the recorded clinical data that are collected.
To have comprehensive and structured documentation of obstetric events for epidemiological and health service research.
To provide the Diabetic Pregnancy Joint Clinic (DPJC) with non-aggregated data on ‘diabetes in pregnancy’.
To actively participate in international collaborative projects and studies.
To liaise with all maternity centres in the public and private sector on the islands, so as to develop a nationwide computer-assisted health information system that facilitates the sharing of submitted obstetric and perinatal information.
To respect confidentiality of registered data at all times.
BACKGROUND
A hospital-based computer-aided Maternity Information System (MIS) was set up jointly by the Department of Health Information (DHI) as it was then known and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Karin Grech Hospital, in 1991.
In October 1998, the European Regional Office of the WHO requested the DHI to collect and submit national perinatal data within the context of the OBSQID Project. In order to participate in this project and achieve national coverage of obstetric activity, the national health authorities decided to extend the hospital-based MIS to other public and all other private maternity centres on the island.
With unanimous agreement from all maternity centres to actively participate in this project, the Department of Health Information developed the National Obstetric Information System (NOIS) using standard epidemiological indicators, operational definitions of events and outcomes are based on both the existing MIS and the WHO/EURO-OBSQID Project. Although the OBSQID Project has come to an end, the NOIS system continues to function effectively and efficiently. Regularly releasing reports and responding to queries.
In 2004, NOIS started participating in the EU project: EURO-PERISTAT. This is a comprehensive health information and knowledge system for evaluating and monitoring perinatal health in Europe. This project aims to complete the development of a strategy for health information and knowledge in the field of perinatal health for a European Community health information system. Participation within this project has aided the Malta NOIS register to develop further and be in a position to provide a greater number of high quality indicators required at both national as well as international level.
COVERAGE
The NOIS was launched at case-based level in the beginning of 1999 and now covers all deliveries taking place in all hospitals on the islands of Malta and Gozo.
DATA COLLECTION AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Systematic data collection for NOIS commences once the mother delivers her baby.
Information regarding the course and outcome of each pregnancy is recorded by the relevant staff at each centre on a standard NOIS sheet. Once the data are recorded, the sheets are forwarded to the DHIR on a weekly basis. At the DHIR the relevant sheets are processed and entered into the NOIS database. Accuracy and completeness of the data sent on the NOIS reporting sheets are the responsibility of the Hospital providing the data.
The maternity centres actively participating in this information system are: Mater Dei Hospital (B'Kara), Gozo General Hospital (Victoria) and St. James Hospital (Zabbar ,Sliema).
During 2006, an audit of the data quality of the National Obstetric Information System within the Directorate for Health Information and Research was carried out using NOIS data sheets collected and registered in the system between July and December 2005,
Results of the audit may be seen in the full report.
PUBLICATIONS
(Unless otherwise stated all documents are in PDF format)
Annual Reports
MATERNAL AND PERINATAL HEALTH INDICATORS
COMPARISON OF PERINATAL INDICATORS WITH OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
EURO PERISTAT - Better statistics for better health
for pregnant women and their babies
The National Obstetrics Information System is an active member of the EUROPERISTAT Network providing maternal and perinatal health data to be included in their European
wide maternal an perinatal health reports. Several
Reports which include Malta Data have been released by EURO PERISTAT:
European Perinatal Health Report – Core indicators of the health
and care of pregnant women and babies in Europe from 2015 -2019
Highlights of the European Perinatal Health
Report 2015 - 2019 with a Focus on Malta
INTERNET LINKS
CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT
The National Obstetric Information System collects and processes personal information regarding all deliveries for statistical and research purposes and in the interests of public health. All data is collected and processed in accordance to the Data Protection Act (Malta, 2001). The Registry does not disclose identifiable data outside the Health Division unless the law permits it. All individuals are entitled to know what information the Registry holds about themselves.