Obstetric consortium

All ten perinatologic centres in the Netherlands around thirty hospitals participate in the Research Consortium for Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Fertility and Neonatology. Thanks to the cooperation, large number of patients can be involved in uniform studies.

The Obstetric Consortium consists of different clusters. A cluster is formed by a perinatologic centre with the adjacent hospitals. Within a cluster, a gynaecologist - in the role of cluster coordinator - is responsible for the logistics in his or her cluster. Together with research obstetricians and nurses, the cluster coordinators are responsible for the communication with hospitals and logistics. The primary task of clinical obstetricians who fulfil this role is to counsel patients who qualify for one of the studies. Randomisation runs via the website of the Obstetric Consortium. As such, all randomisations are immediately registered on a national basis.