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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Andrea P. MacKay, MSPH, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 6525 Belcrest Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301 458-4358, anm3@cdc.gov
Birth certificates are an important source of information for studies of maternal and infant health. The goal of this study is to evaluate the use of medical information reported on birth certificates as a proxy for information from hospital discharge records. Understanding the accuracy and completeness of reported medical information available from birth certificates is important for epidemiologic studies based on birth certificate data. Methods: Using 1997 California linked Birth Certificates and Hospital Discharge Records, we evaluated the incidence, percent agreement, sensitivity, and positive predictive value of birth certificate data, compared with hospital discharge records, for assessing maternal medical risk factors, complications of labor and delivery, and abnormal conditions and congenital anomalies of the newborn. Results: From the 1997 California birth cohort, we identified 508,214 births with linked birth records, infant’s hospital discharge record, and maternal hospital discharge record, comprising 97% of 1997 California live births. The incidence reported in hospital records of abnormal conditions of the infant (<3%) were less common than complications of pregnancy (<7%) and complications of labor and delivery (<10%); among birth certificates, the reported incidence was <1%, <3%, and <3% respectively. Among congenital anomalies of the newborn, sensitivity ranged from 2.3 (abnormalities of skin, hair, and nails) to 29.6 (cleft palate) and the positive predictive values ranged from 2.7 to 73.8. Among complications of labor and delivery, sensitivity ranged from 10.2 (prolonged labor) to 36.7 (breech presentation). Conclusion: Birth certificate information is not a reliable proxy for information from hospital discharge records.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.