Developing maternal morbidity indicators and identifying sources of data for those measures were the primary goals of a November 1999 conference titled "Monitoring Pregnancy-Related Morbidity", sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For this conference, we compiled a list of national population-based data collection systems in which indicators of maternal morbidity may be used for surveillance purposes. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) agencies were searched for health surveys and other data collection tools which can produce pregnancy-related information. Surveys which directly measure health problems of pregnant women and new mothers were considered the highest priority, and will be highlighted during the presentation. Many of the databases are public-use data files, meaning that the raw data, questionnaires and documentation are available to anyone who requests them and can be downloaded over the World Wide Web. The overall goal of the presentation is to familiarize participants with how measures of maternal morbidity are operationalized in national surveys, and how Internet technology can allow researchers to develop their own health indicators from already existing databases.
Learning Objectives: 1. Audience will become familiar with potential indicators for maternal morbidity 2. Audience will learn how to use the Internet to find public use data sets for health indicators
Keywords: Maternal Morbidity,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.