Data sources
National Perinatal Data Collection
The National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC) began in 1991 and is a national population-based cross-sectional collection of data on pregnancy and childbirth. The NPDC collects national information on the pregnancy and childbirth of mothers, and the characteristics and outcomes of their babies. A standard de-identified extract is provided from states and territories to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on an annual basis to form the NPDC.
The NPDC supports a range of reports and products, including:
- Australia’s mothers and babies
- National Core Maternity Indicators reports and data visualisations
- Indigenous mothers and their babies reports
- other specialist reports, indicator-based reports and customised data requests.
Detailed information on completeness, accuracy and other aspects of data quality for the NPDC is in the data quality statement.
See Technical notes in Australia's mothers and babies for more information on:
- collection of perinatal data by states and territories
- collation of national perinatal data
- the scope and structure of the NPDC
- Perinatal National Minimum Data Set items
- NPDC data quality, timeliness and availability.
National Perinatal Mortality Data Collection
The National Perinatal Mortality Data Collection (NPMDC) is a population-based cross-sectional collection of data regarding the deaths of babies in hospitals and in the community and includes all neonatal deaths and stillbirths of a baby at least 20 weeks’ gestation or at least 400 grams birthweight, during pregnancy, birth or within 28 days of birth.
The NPMDC commenced with the 2013 birth cohort and builds on information collected in the NPDC. Common identifier fields in the NPDC and NPMDC allow demographic information regarding perinatal death records in the NPMDC to be retrieved from the NPDC for reporting.
There are 33 voluntary data items collected in the NPMDC which are supplied by state and territory health authorities using a standard de-identified extract to the AIHW on an annual basis. Data specifications supplied to jurisdictions for collection are included in the related data tables.
Detailed information on completeness, accuracy, and other aspects of data quality for the NPMDC is in the data quality statement.
See Technical notes in Australia's mothers and babies for more information on:
- NPMDC data quality, timeliness and availability
- Definitions used in reporting perinatal deaths.