RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The Federal Joint Committee of Germany defined structural and staff requirements for the care of preterm and term infants as a proxy measure for quality. Neonatal outcome has been evaluated as a quality marker for a long time. While Germany has one of the highest preterm birth rates in Europe, no data exist on centre-specific preterm birth rates. METHODS: Over 2 years, all pregnant women admitted to six centres for perinatal medicine in Baden-Württemberg at a gestational age between 22+0 and 31+6 weeks were eligible (n=2972). The preterm birth rate before 32 wks of gestation was evaluated if at least one of the following secondary inclusion criteria was present within 24 h after admission: 1) premature rupture of membranes, 2) cervical length less than 25 mm, or 3) more than 3 contractions of at least 30-s duration within a 30-min period. Neonatal outcome could be documented for 70.6% of infants. RESULTS: Of the women who met at least one secondary inclusion criterion (n=1325), 21.1% (n=279) delivered 344 preterm infants before 32 weeks. The preterm birth rate was between 16.8 and 27.9% (11.1% difference). A lower preterm birth rate was not associated with a worse neonatal outcome. CONCLUSION: Preterm birth rate should become a quality indicator for perinatal care. A reduction of the preterm birth rate of 5% could help to reduce the number of preterm infants by up to 2,400 per year in Germany (about 25%).