The 1984 national perinatal census: design, organization and uses for assessing obstetric services in Israel.

A nationwide perinatal census was conducted in Israel, in which medical, social, ethnic and demographic information on all births that took place in Israel within a predefined 3-month period was collected. The present study is the first to include 22,814 births that took place in all the obstetric units in Israel. The perinatal mortality rate decreased from 23.7 in 1964-68 to 13 in 1983-84. The frequency of cesarean section deliveries almost doubled over the last decade, while the use of forceps decreased significantly and the use of vacuum extraction did not change. The rate of low birthweight, however, remained constant over the last two decades. The level of hospital care has been shown to be significantly associated with perinatal mortality. The Israeli Perinatal Census may be used to provide information needed for promoting priority objectives for pregnancy and infant health, such as improving health status, identifying risk factors, increasing public and professional awareness, and improvement in services by protecting mother and fetus.