Provision of data for statistical & research purposes
Under the auspices of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity (CCOPMM) the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit has collated information on all Victorian births from 20 weeks of gestation since 1982. The Unit also maintains the Birth Defects Register for Victorian children born from 1982. The CCOPMM also undertakes extensive data collection on perinatal, infant, child (up to, but not including, their 18th birthday), and maternal mortality. The CCOPMM encourages the release of data to all health professionals; however, foremost consideration is that the release of data by the CCOPMM will not endanger the confidentiality of information.
The CCOPMM reviews all research projects. If access to individual case records is requested, stringent conditions apply to safeguard the security and confidentiality of any data released by the Council. In all instances, a CCOPMM nominee must be one of the project supervisors.
Formal research proposals must conform to the National Health and Medical Research Council National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans 1999. Before any project can begin, a properly constituted Humans Research Ethics Committee must have given approval. No contact with any patient or parent/guardian may be made without permission of the patient's physician at the time of birth/death, and, in the case or the birth data, the hospital at which the birth took place.
All correspondence relating to CCOPMM data should be addressed to:
Executive Support Officer
Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity
GPO Box 4923
Melbourne Vic 3001
Enquiries
Telephone:
National (03) 9096 2693
International (61 3) 9096 2693
Fax:
National (03) 9096 2700
International (61 3) 9096 2700
The CCOPMM encourages the use of information and recommendations within published reports providing appropriate acknowledgement of the source is made.