De Bakermat Midwifery Practice is careful with personal details of visitors to the website. If personal details are requested, such as to register as a pregnant woman through this site, the details will be processed carefully and securely. De Bakermat complies with the requirements set out in the Personal Data Protection Act.

Your data and the blood test

If you decide to take the blood tests during pregnancy then your data will be used to make a diagnosis, which leads to treatment, if necessary. These data are recorded in a national registration system known as Praeventis. This makes it possible to safeguard the quality of the blood test and to monitor the process. For example, if an abnormal result was recorded but no action has been taken then the system would sound the alarm. Your obstetrician, GP, or gynaecologist would then be notified.

The data stored in Praeventis are secured according to the regulations in force. Only the person responsible for checking the quality of your treatment has access to your data. RIVM is responsible for Praeventis and for the safety of your data.
 Once the blood test has been completed, you can request that your data be removed from Praeventis. You should submit this request to your care provider.

Data on pregnancy and birth

An obstetrician, gynaecologist, or GP records data throughout the course of your pregnancy. This is vital to the effective supervision of you and your child. Data may be provided to other caregivers, but only when strictly necessary. This will be the case, for instance, if you give your permission for them to become involved in the treatment.

A number of screening programs are described in this folder. These screenings take place either during pregnancy, or shortly after birth. The purpose of these tests is the prevention or timely detection of disorders in your child. If you decide to participate in one or more tests, then the necessary data will be collected. These are vital if the screening is to be conducted effectively. They are also important for monitoring quality. These data collections each work slightly differently. This is because they each involve different care providers. However, the principle is the same in each case. Your personal data will only be used to ensure effective testing for you or your child, and to monitor the quality of the procedures involved. The data can also be used for scientific research. In almost all cases, this involves the use of anonymous data. As many precautions as possible have been taken to ensure that the data is not traceable to you or your child. In exceptional cases, scientific research requires data that is trace- able. Please tell your care provider if you do not want your data to be used in these exceptional cases. Further details are given in the special folders that accompany the various screening programs. Additional information is available on RIVM’s website.

It is important that the heel prick screening is done as soon as possible after your baby is born, so your midwife sends a birth notification to the Praeventis registration system operated by RIVM-RCP. The RIVM-RCP then instructs the local Youth Health Care organization to carry out the heel prick test. If you have already decided that you don’t want to take part in the heel prick screening, tell your midwife; your objection will be noted, and the birth notification will not be sent.

In the Netherlands, data on pregnancy and birth are also collected for other purposes. For instance, there is the Perinatal Registry, which involves input from obstetricians, GPs, gynaecologists, and paediatricians. This contains the data provided by various care providers involved in different stages of the entire process. The purpose of this registry is to improve the quality of care during pregnancy and birth. This registry is also a valuable resource for scientific research. Such research can enhance medical knowledge in the areas of pregnancy and birth. The Perinatal Registry is managed by the PRN Foundation (Netherlands Perinatal Registry).

So what is involved?

Where necessary, your obstetrician, GP, or gynaecologist will ask if you are prepared to give your permission for registration. If you decide, for whatever reason, to withhold your consent, this will of course have no influence whatsoever on the quality of your treatment. Further details concerning your privacy in the Perinatal Registry can be found in the fact sheet “Informatie voor geregistreerden, informatie voor zwangeren” (Information for registered users, information for pregnant women) at the PRN site.