Correlation between stillbirth vital statistics and medical records.

OBJECTIVE: Most data regarding conditions associated with or contributing to stillbirth are derived from fetal death certificates. Our purposes were to compare stillbirth data recorded in vital statistics with those in the medical record and to investigate whether diagnostic evaluations differed in tertiary care and community hospitals. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, fetal death certificate data identified individuals with stillbirths delivering in eight Salt Lake City hospitals from 1998 to 2002. Medical records were reviewed to assess demographics, diagnostic evaluation, and potential causes of stillbirth. Data were compared between death certificates and the medical record by calculation of the κ coefficient for categorical variables or Kendall's τ-b coefficients based on the number of concordant and discordant pairs of observations for continuous variables. Diagnostic tests completed were compared between community and tertiary care hospitals with χ or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Five-hundred fifty-six individuals were identified, and 461 (83%) charts were available for review. Correlation between death certificates and the medical record was nearly perfect for demographic variables (correlation 0.8-0.9) but slight to moderate (correlation 0.2-0.5) for contributing or etiologic factors. Important diagnostic tests performed significantly more often in tertiary care than community hospitals included autopsy (35% compared with 13%, P<.01), karyotype (17% compared with 4%, P<.01), Kleihauer-Betke (22% compared with 13%, P=.01), toxicology screen (13% compared with 2%, P<.01), and complete blood count (95% compared with 90%, P=.03). CONCLUSION: There are important discrepancies between fetal death certificates and medical records. Complete work-up, review of the medical record, and efforts to increase accurate reporting may improve the accuracy of stillbirth vital statistics. Diagnostic evaluation was more extensive in tertiary care hospitals.

Non-anomalous stillbirth by gestational age: trends differ based on method of epidemiologic calculation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to compare gestational age specific rates, risks and prospective risks of stillbirth. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of women with a singleton non-anomalous pregnancy was conducted. Definitions were chosen to maintain consistency with previous literature. RESULTS: Rate was highest at 20 weeks, nadired at 41 weeks and rose thereafter. Risk was low earlier in gestation, nadired at 29 weeks and rose with increasing gestational age. Prospective risk was highest at 20 weeks, nadired at 40 weeks and rose at 42 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in trends of stillbirth are noted depending on the calculation. All of these calculations are useful in clinical practice.

The impact of surveillance method and record source on autism prevalence: collaboration with Utah Maternal and Child Health programs.

With the increasing number of Utah children identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), information on the prevalence and characteristics of these children could help Maternal Child Health (MCH) programs develop population building activities focused on prevention, screening, and education. The purpose of this study is to describe Utah's autism registry developed in collaboration with state MCH programs and assess the impact of different record-based surveillance methods on state ASD prevalence rates. The study was conducted using 212 ASD cases identified from a population of 26,217 eight year olds living in one of the three most populous counties in Utah (Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah) in 2002. ASD prevalence was determined using two records based approaches (administrative diagnoses versus abstraction and clinician review) by source of record ascertainment (education, health, and combined). ASD prevalence ranged from 7.5 per 1000 (95% CI 6.4-8.5) to 3.2 per 1000 (95% CI 2.5-3.9) varying significantly (P < .05) based on method and record source. The ratio of male-to-female ranged from 4.7:1 to 6.4:1. No significant differences were found between the two case ascertainment methods on 18 of the 23 case characteristics including median household income, parental education, and mean age of diagnosis. Broad support is needed from both education and health sources as well as collaboration with MCH programs to address the growing health concerns, monitoring, and treatment needs of children and their families impacted by autism spectrum disorders.

Communication disorders: prevalence and comorbid intellectual disability, autism, and emotional/behavioral disorders.

PURPOSE: To determine a population-based estimate of communication disorders (CDs) in children; the co-occurrence of intellectual disability (ID), autism, and emotional/behavioral disorders; and the impact of these conditions on the prevalence of CDs. METHOD: Surveillance targeted 8-year-olds born in 1994 residing in 2002 in the 3 most populous counties in Utah (n = 26,315). A multiple-source record review was conducted at all major health and educational facilities. RESULTS: A total of 1,667 children met the criteria of CD. The prevalence of CD was estimated to be 63.4 per 1,000 8-year-olds (95% confidence interval = 60.4-66.2). The ratio of boys to girls was 1.8:1. Four percent of the CD cases were identified with an ID and 3.7% with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Adjusting the CD prevalence to exclude ASD and/or ID cases significantly affected the CD prevalence rate. Other frequently co-occurring emotional/behavioral disorders with CD were attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and conduct disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Findings affirm that CDs and co-occurring mental health conditions are a major educational and public health concern.