13–17 September 2009, Hamburg, Germany Poster abstracts P23.09 Establishment of a perinatal research network F. Manning 1,3 , M. Geary 2 , F. McAuliffe 6,11 , J. Higgins 9,12 , J. Morrison 8,13 , S. Daly 5 , J. Doran 7,14 , G. Burke 10 , S. Higgins 4 , F. Malone 3,2 1 Perinatal Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; 2 Fetal Assessment, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 3 Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; 4 Fetal Assessment, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Ireland; 5 Fetal Assessment, Coombe Womens & Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 6 Fetal Assessment, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 7 Fetal Assessment, Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital, Belfast, United Kingdom; 8 Fetal Assessment, University College Hospital, Galway, Ireland; 9 Fetal Assessment, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland; 10 Fetal Assessment, Mid Western Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick, Ireland; 11 Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; 12 Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; 13 Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University College Galway, Galway, Ireland; 14 Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Queens University, Belfast, United Kingdom Objective: To establish a world-class national research network to carry out high quality obstetric ultrasound research in Ireland. Methods: A partnership of 9 leading fetal medicine physicians from 8 maternity hospitals across Ireland was formed to establish a national obstetric ultrasound research network in Ireland. A proposal was successfully submitted to the Irish Health Research Board (HRB) and a multi-million euro award was made for the establishment and operation of the network. Results: Perinatal Ireland was established through the award and comprises 8 of the leading maternal fetal medicine centres in Ireland. The network provides a collaborative partnership and research infrastructure to carry out large-scale perinatal research projects. Together these 8 centres account for over 50,000 births per annum. The infrastructure includes formalized management structures, dedicated research equipment and personnel at each site and a full-time Programme Manager. As Perinatal Ireland was the first consortium of its kind in Ireland, some difficulties were encountered during its set up. These included difficulties in recruiting sonographers due to the poor supply of trained obstetric ultrasonographers; problems with contractual arrangements regarding their employment and the need to obtain ethical approval at each of the eight sites. Hospitals without existing academic departments, where there was less of a culture of clinical research, experienced greatest difficulty in integration into the consortium and this was reflected in their recruitment performance. Hospitals where a senior clinician had substantial executive authority seemed to facilitate integration. Conclusion: A perinatal research network was successfully estab- lished in Ireland. The consortium is currently carrying out multicen- tre prospective research studies in ultrasound, including evaluating the role of sonographic predictors of restricted growth in twins, and expects to report initial results in 2010. P23.10 Establishment of a web-based consolidated ultrasound database F. Manning 1,11 , J. Mallchok 2 , F. Mallchok 2 , M. Geary 3 , F. McAuliffe 4,12 , S. Daly 5 , J. Higgins 8,14 , J. Morrison 7,13 , J. Dornan 6,15 , G. Burke9, S. Higgins 10 , F. Malone 11,3 1 Perinatal Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; 2 Development, Mallchok Consulting Ltd, Newark, United Kingdom; 3 Fetal Assessment, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 4 Fetal Assessment, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 5 Fetal Assessment, Coombe Womens and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 6 Fetal Assessment, Royal Jubillee Maternity Hospital, Belfast, United Kingdom; 7 Fetal Assessment, University College Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland; 8 Fetal Assessment, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland; 9 Fetal Assessment, Mid Western Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick, Ireland; 10 Fetal Assessment, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Ireland; 11 Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; 12 Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; 13 Obstetrics and Gynaecology, NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland; 14 Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; 15 Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queens University, Belfast, United Kingdom Objective: To establish a consolidated web-based database linking Viewpoint ultrasound databases at 8 sites to facilitate the efficient transfer and consolidation of research data to a central, secure web-based database. Methods: Perinatal Ireland, an 8-centre research consortium, was used as a platform to develop and implement a web-based research database. The approach was 2-fold: to create an extract of ultrasound data at each centre for uploading and to set up a secure website to which data from 8 centres could be uploaded. A merge algorithm ensures all transferred study data is up-to-date and all additional study data is added when a new dataset is uploaded. The data is stored in a common database which is viewable and queryable via specific user logons for pre-authorised IP addresses. Results: The software used to record study data contains a functionality allowing the user to extract and save data to a CSV file with the aid of an SQL-like query. Once logged in the user selects an upload function to transfer the data. The uploaded text file is validated and inserted into a MySQL database. The entire contents of the database can be downloaded as a tab delimited. csv file for statistical analysis. The website features tools and in-built queries allowing on-going monitoring of user activity and data quality. The dedicated website incorporates security features including restricted access from specific IP addresses, usernames and passwords for access, SSL encryption of data and no patient-identifiable data is uploaded. Conclusions: A unique network has been established facilitating the electronic transfer and consolidation of ultrasound data from 8 individual Viewpoint databases to a central secure database. The merged data is downloadable as a tab-delineated file to allow for statistical analysis. The system provides a valuable research resource in a multi-centre research setting, facilitating the efficient and effective consolidation of data. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology 2009; 34 (Suppl. 1): 177–284 269