Update on the CIP Caribbean Perinatal Surveillance Project - abstract

ABSTRACT

At the last international Symposium of the Caribbean Institute of Perinatology (CIP), a research proposal for a multi-island investigation of perinatal deliveries was presented. This project, conducted under the auspicies of the CIP, has been provided with initial funding to undertake a two-part investigation that will implement a perinatal surveillance system to support a multi-island descriptive assessment of perinatal deliveries in the Caribbean and will subsequently conduct a controlled trial of an intervention based on modifying the definition of post-maturity and its clinical response. This project was formally initiated in September, 1992, with the commencement of a pilot study in St. Martin and Guadeloupe. This communication will review the activities of the project to date. The details of the pilot test will be presented along with the revised data collection forms and coding manuals that were amended, based on discussions held during the training sessions and a review of the pilot test. The presentation will overview the work plan for implementing the project and expanding it to other island communities. A summary of the success of the investigators in obtaining additional funding for the project will be given. Finally, this communication will report on recent efforts to develop a Caribbean-based, summer training institute, focused on providing instruction in the use of perinatal data for health status monitoring, programme development and policy enactment (AU)