International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects
Surveillance and Research.
International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects
Surveillance and Research.
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Generla info
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History:
The MCAR register started in 1985 as a research project of the University of Malta. It started as a hospital-based register collecting and storing paper-based data regarding congenital anomalies diagnosed in babies born at the main public hospital in Malta. Funding for the research project was stopped in 1995 and in 1997 the then Department of Health Information assumed the functions of data collection increasing coverage to all hospitals on the islands and making it a population-based register with data being kept electronically. ,The Register was accepted as a member of the International Clearinghouse in 2000, it is also a member of EUROCAT – European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies.
Size and coverage::
The registry is population based for the Maltese Islands and covers around 4500 births per year as of 2019.
Legislation and funding:
The registry is managed and funded by the Directorate for Health Information and Research within the Ministry for Health. Data collection for this Register is regulated under the Health Act, Legal notice - Processing of Personal Data (Secondary Processing) (Health Sector) Regulations, 2019.
Sources of ascertainment:
The registry employs active data collection from multiple sources including obstetric and neonatal hospital wards, doctors’ reporting, cardiac laboratory records, genetics clinic records, National Mortality Register, National Obstetric Systems database and National Hospitals Information System.
Exposure information:
Information regarding maternal demographics, lifestyle, chronic medical conditions and exposure to medicinal drugs, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse as well as parental occupation are collected for all malformed infants. Babies are registered if confirmed with a major birth defect within the first year of life.
Background information:
Epidemiological population background data on all births are available from the National Obstetric Information Systems database and vital statistics.
Addresses and staff:
Program Director: Dr Miriam Gatt,95. G'Mangia Hill,G'Mangia,PTA 1313,MALTA.
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