Well-informed by national registers? A comparison of national ART registers in Germany, France and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Objectives: National registers which document assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments are important for a range of stakeholders. Their websites and reports are a source of information for ART practitioners, (future) patients and the public. The aim of our study was to compare national ART registers in the three European countries with the largest populations and evaluate whether ART registers currently meet the information needs of the different groups.Methods: We compared the publications of national registers in three European countries (the United Kingdom, France and Germany) with diverse regulatory approaches. Our analysis focused on two criteria: data quality and patient orientation.Results: Our findings suggest that the German and French registers’ publications fulfil the criteria to a lesser degree than the British register publications, by collecting data that are likely to be less accurate and publishing less information specifically targeted at patients.Conclusions: Differences in the publications and the data collection methods of the three registers impact the opportunities of various stakeholders to access information about ART from their respective national registers.