Ascertainment of birth defects: The effect on completeness of adding a new source of data

Abstract

Complete ascertainment of birth defects is important in developing and evaluating preventive programs, and in investigating clusters of birth defects.

Health professionals' knowledge, practice and opinions about fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol consumption in pregnancy

“…However, the results may not reflect the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health professionals throughout Australia. The survey sample was weighted towards health professionals practising in rural and remote areas of WA, where there are more Indigenous children and the prevalence of children with FAS is high, 3 and they may differ from health professionals in other locations.…”

“…These should include resources designed for use for Indigenous populations, where FAS is overrepresented. 3,4 The information from this survey will be helpful in developing such resources for each of the health professional groups, in conjunction with other experience from Australia and internationally, particularly for Indigenous health professionals.…”

“…1 This report, from the United States (US), was the first published in English-language literature, although the condition had earlier been described in a 1968 paper from France. 2 In Australia, data on the birth prevalence of FAS are limited, with data from recent Australian studies 3,4 suggesting that rates are substantially lower than in North America, France and Sweden. 5 However, Australian data are consistent with data from overseas in indicating that Indigenous children are at considerably higher risk of FAS than nonIndigenous children.…”

“…5 However, Australian data are consistent with data from overseas in indicating that Indigenous children are at considerably higher risk of FAS than nonIndigenous children. 3,4,6,7 Making a correct and early diagnosis of FAS is of value in improving opportunities for early intervention and management for the affected child and for reducing fetal exposure to alcohol in subsequent pregnancies. However, little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Australian health professionals in regard to FAS and alcohol use in pregnancy.…”

Identification of Children With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

“…Such a method can be defined as passive, because it is based on counting, ex post, how many cases of the indexed pathology occurred during a specific time period. More active methods combine data coming from different sources, as a case can be registered in different records [23]. As an example, a study performed in Alaska, using different sources (from hospital admissions, pediatricians, birth certificates, and programs for genetic diseases, disability, or education) identified a FAS prevalence rate of 0.2-0.3 per 1,000 in the non-Native population [24].…”