Data quality and availability
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About the model of care national best practice data set
The scope of the MoC NBPDS is all models of maternity care available to pregnant and birthing women in Australia. The elements in the data set describe the different characteristics of models of maternity care around 3 domains:
- the women a model is designed for
- the carers working within the model
- how and where care is commonly provided.
Information about each of the data elements in the MoC NBPDS are in Technical notes and on METEOR.
How is data collected?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) developed the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) data collection tool (DCT) to collect information on the models of care available at each maternity service. A registered user in each service uses the DCT to classify their models of care, by answering a series of questions on each model of care they offer. This ensures they are classified in a standardised way. The questions used to classify each model of care are in Technical notes.
The DCT has a user guide to help registered users enter their models of care information accurately, and inbuilt validation and tool tips to reduce reporting errors. The AIHW also maintains a helpdesk to support services to classify their models of care. To ensure information is kept up to date, the AIHW asks maternity services to review and update their models of care annually and validates new and updated models when they are submitted. Validation queries are followed up with maternity services. Any models of care with significant data quality queries still attached to them after follow up are excluded from reporting. In this report 4 models of care (less than 1%) were excluded from national reporting.
The information submitted to the DCT forms the basis of the MoC NBPDS. Summary information about each model of care submitted to the DCT is available for each maternity service at the MaCCS website. This includes the model ID number, model name and the major model category it falls under.
Capturing models of care in the National Perinatal Data Collection
Collecting models of care at the service level also facilitates the inclusion of model of care data elements into the National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC). The 2 model of care data elements going into the NPDC are primary maternity model of care and maternity model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section. The model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section may be similar to or different from the primary model of care a woman received through her pregnancy. The MaCCS DCT allocates a unique model ID number to each model of care entered to it. Model ID numbers can then be used to populate the 2 model of care data elements in each woman’s perinatal data record and to link NPDC data with other information in the MoC NBPDS. Analyses based on the number of women that use a particular model of care will be possible once these data elements are routinely collected in the NPDC.
NPDC model of care data elements
Primary maternity model of care
Definition:
The maternity model of care a female received for the majority of pregnancy care, as represented by a numeric identifier.
Guide for use:
This value is populated using the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) and is the value of the unique model of care code.
The model of care a female received for the majority of pregnancy care, as determined by the number of antenatal visits within that model of care.
Collection methods:
To be collected once, after the birth.
Maternity model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section
Definition:
The model of maternity care a female is under at the onset of labour or at the time of non-labour caesarean section, as represented by a numeric identifier.
Guide for use:
This value is populated using the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) and is the value of the unique model of care code.
Collection methods:
To be collected once, after the birth.
Source: METEOR.
A note about coverage
Most (96%) maternity services with birth facilities had at least one ‘active’, or ‘in use’ model of care, classified in the MaCCS DCT on 30 June 2023. Coverage rates are high at 89% or above in all jurisdictions (see Table 1). A national baseline for all maternity models of care is not yet available because:
- Classifying models of care for the MoC NBPDS is voluntary.
- In services that have classified models in the DCT it is possible that not all available models of care have been entered.
- There is a gap in the collection of models of care with a major model category of private midwifery care because the AIHW engages primarily with maternity services. While the number of models of care in this category is likely to be small and some hospitals have entered models of care on behalf of private midwives, this category has poorer coverage compared with other model categories.
Services – public | Services – private | Total | Services with at least 1 active model – public | Services with at least 1 active model – private | Total with at least 1 active model | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | No. | No. | No. | % | % | % |
| NSW | 65 | 16 | 81 | 96.9 | 86.7 | 95.1 |
| VIC | 41 | 15 | 56 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| QLD | 38 | 16 | 54 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| WA | 23 | 8 | 31 | 87.0 | 100.0 | 90.3 |
| SA | 22 | 4 | 26 | 90.9 | 75.0 | 88.5 |
| TAS | 2 | 3 | 5 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| ACT | 2 | 1 | 3 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| NT | 4 | 1 | 5 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Total | 197 | 64 | 261 | 96.5 | 95.1 | 96.2 |
Notes
- Includes maternity services with birth facilities. ‘Services – private’ includes 3 services that are also funded to provide public maternity care.
- ‘Active’ models are those that have been classified and submitted to the MaCCS DCT and are in use at a maternity service on 30 June 2023.
Source: MaCCS DCT, 2023.
How can we improve the collection?
The completeness and quality of the MoC NBPDS will continue to improve as familiarity with the MaCCS DCT grows, with further engagement by maternity services and maternity service providers and with the inclusion of the two model of care data elements into the NPDC. The AIHW will continue its work to improve the accuracy and completeness of the models of care information and to incorporate these data elements into other maternal and perinatal health reporting.