Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist1, Robert M Silver2, Corette B Parker3, Donald J Dudley4, Matthew A Koch3, Uma M Reddy5, George R Saade6, Robert L Goldenberg7, Carol J R Hogue8. 1. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: lchris4@emory.edu. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City. 3. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio. 5. Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. 6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston. 7. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, NY. 8. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Describe the relative frequency and joint effect of missing and misreported fetal death certificate (FDC) data and identify variations by key characteristics. METHODS: Stillbirths were prospectively identified during 2006-2008 for a multisite population-based case-control study. For this study, eligible mothers of stillbirths were not incarcerated residents of DeKalb County, Georgia, or Salt Lake County, Utah, aged ≥13 years, with an identifiable FDC. We identified the frequency of missing and misreported (any departure from the study value) FDC data by county, race/ethnicity, gestational age, and whether the stillbirth was antepartum or intrapartum. RESULTS: Data quality varied by item and was highest in Salt Lake County. Reporting was generally not associated with maternal or delivery characteristics. Reasons for poor data quality varied by item in DeKalb County: some items were frequently missing and misreported; however, others were of poor quality due to either missing or misreported data. CONCLUSIONS: FDC data suffer from missing and inaccurate data, with variations by item and county. Salt Lake County data illustrate that high quality reporting is attainable. The overall quality of reporting must be improved to support consequential epidemiologic analyses for stillbirth, and improvement efforts should be tailored to the needs of each jurisdiction.
PURPOSE: Describe the relative frequency and joint effect of missing and misreported fetal death certificate (FDC) data and identify variations by key characteristics. METHODS: Stillbirths were prospectively identified during 2006-2008 for a multisite population-based case-control study. For this study, eligible mothers of stillbirths were not incarcerated residents of DeKalb County, Georgia, or Salt Lake County, Utah, aged ≥13 years, with an identifiable FDC. We identified the frequency of missing and misreported (any departure from the study value) FDC data by county, race/ethnicity, gestational age, and whether the stillbirth was antepartum or intrapartum. RESULTS: Data quality varied by item and was highest in Salt Lake County. Reporting was generally not associated with maternal or delivery characteristics. Reasons for poor data quality varied by item in DeKalb County: some items were frequently missing and misreported; however, others were of poor quality due to either missing or misreported data. CONCLUSIONS: FDC data suffer from missing and inaccurate data, with variations by item and county. Salt Lake County data illustrate that high quality reporting is attainable. The overall quality of reporting must be improved to support consequential epidemiologic analyses for stillbirth, and improvement efforts should be tailored to the needs of each jurisdiction.
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