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| A branch of the Department of Health Information |
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| Address: | 95, G'Mangia Hill |  |
| | G'Mangia, PTA 3131 | |
| | Malta | |
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| Phone | (+356) 25599261, 25599000 | |
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| Fax | (+356) 25599385 | |
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| Contact Person:
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AIMS |
- To collect data about all fetal deaths and infants with a diagnosis of congenital anomalies on the islands of Malta and Gozo
- To keep a register of all cases of congenital anomalies diagnosed until one year of age
- To provide data which may be required for epidemiological and research studies
- To detect any changes in occurrence of congenital anomalies
- To issue regular reports and provide physicians and the general public with information they may need, always respecting strict confidentiality.
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BACKGROUND |
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Data on congenital anomalies diagnosed at birth at St. Luke's Hospital (Malta) was collected through the University of Malta from 1985 to 1996. The register became a member of EUROCAT (European Registration of Congenital Anomalies and Twins) in 1986. Funding by the University of Malta ran into difficulties in 1995. The Department of Health Information started co-ordinating all previous efforts of recording congenital anomalies and established a population based Malta Congenital Anomalies Register as of January 1997. This register now covers births from all hospitals on the Maltese Islands and includes cases diagnosed until one year of age. The register continues to be a member of EUROCAT. The register became a member of the ICBDSR (International Clearinghouse of Birth Defects Surveillance and Research) in 2000. |
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COVERAGE |
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The register is population based and covers all births on the islands of Malta and Gozo which amount to under 5000 births per year.
The small size and population of the islands (area: 316 km2; population: 410,290); the well defined boundaries, absence of significant ethnic minority groups and illegality of termination of pregnancy make the islands ideal for epidemiological studies.
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DATA COLLECTION AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION |
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Congenital Anomalies, for the purposes of the register, are defined as 'structural, functional, metabolic, behavioural and hereditary defects present at birth'.
Data collection occurs on both a passive and active basis. On a passive basis, paediatricians and private hospitals are asked to report any newly diagnosed cases of congenital anomalies. On an active basis, members of the staff of the Department of Health Information visit Mater Dei Hospital obstetric, paediatric and echocardiography units to collect data directly and review patient notes.
The hospitals presently involved in data capture are Mater Dei Hospital (MDH), Gozo General Hospital (GGH), St. Philip's Hospital, St. James Hospital, Sliema and Zabbar.
Several Sources of data are used to ensure as complete a coverage as possible. Present sources of data from Mater Dei Hospital are: Doctor's notifications, Delivery Unit and Obstetric ward, ICPU, Echocardiography Lab., Genetics Clinic, National Ostetrics Information System (NOIS), Hospital Activity Analysis Register, Mortality Register, Pathology Autopsy reports, and Hypothyroid screening programmes.
The registry keeps named records in order to: i) link reports arriving from several sources, and so avoid duplicate registration; ii) allow the follow up of cases to confirm, update the diagnosis and to study the outcome of malformed children; and iii) trace the cases in order to conduct prospective or retrospective aetiological studies.
Patient Hospital files are reviewed whenever possible to validate and ensure accuracy of registrations. Strict confidentiality is respected at all times.
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