Health services research, outcomes, and perinatal information systems.

ABSTRACT

PIP: The success in information and communication technology, together with the search for the most effective and efficient ways to use the limited resources for health care, are opening new areas for research and development in perinatal care. The quality of the population-based databanks and individual patient care may benefit from improvements in the design of the clinical records. Information systems and practice oriented by evidence-based medicine are modifying the operation of health services, and the quality of their management is being monitored by the success of their outcomes. This paper discusses in detail the experiences of the two countries--Latin America and the Caribbean--in using the Perinatal Information System. Furthermore, this paper discusses the future challenges in the compatibility of information systems and databanks, the need for longer follow-up periods and measurement of health-related quality of life as outcomes for perinatal care, and the strategies to integrate all these concepts for the improvement of daily practice.