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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Andrea J. Hoberman, MPH, CLE, Dawn M. Richardson, MPH, Jennifer L. Taylor, MPH, and Ellen R. Silver, RNP, MSN. Perinatal Advisory Council - Leadership, Advocacy, and Consultation (PAC/LAC), 13743 Ventura Blvd., Suite 330, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, 818-788-6850, ahoberman@paclac.org

Accurate vital records data are an important basis for epidemiological assessments, informing perinatal quality of care and numerous other health indicators. In particular, maternal race/ethnicity and sociodemographic characteristics have been linked to disparate birth outcomes. In 2004, California birth certificates were incomplete at a rate higher than the NCHS standards. Information most commonly omitted included mothers' years of education, mothers' identification as Hispanic, and date of last menstrual period. Within Santa Barbara and Ventura counties between January – August 2005, nearly half (48.5%) were submitted late, beyond the required ten days after birth. To address these issues, birth clerks from ten hospitals within these counties were surveyed on four areas: work setting and schedule, job duties, job training, and birth certificate registration process. Results were analyzed for common themes, revealing that awaiting physician signatures and diminished weekend staffing postponed filing of birth certificates. Common barriers to completeness included difficulties contacting patients post-discharge and limited translation services, suggesting differential data quality for certain populations due to language barriers. Implications of these findings point to the continued need for quality improvement concerning vital statistics collection practices, particularly in light of recent additions to the California birth certificate in 2006. Future directions will assess whether principle payment source and hospital care level impact birth data quality. To the extent that these data determine distribution of limited community resources, as well as the development of population-based public health interventions, it is a crucial human right to be counted in an accurate and timely manner.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the importance of birth data quality in relation to human rights and public health.
• Identify commonly omitted information on California birth certificates.
• List four barriers to birth clerk completion and timely filing of birth certificates.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, MCH Epidemiology

Related Web page: www.paclac.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation