Document Detail


Apgar scores reported in personal child health records: validity for epidemiological studies?
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18717766     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
AIM: In epidemiological studies on children, information in the neonatal period that might affect children's long-term health could be extracted from the personal child health record (PCHR), because the booklet exists in most countries. We aimed to assess, in individual children, the validity of Apgar scores reported in the PCHR using maternity medical records as the gold standard. METHODS: In two French hospitals, 435 women who had a child in January 2006 were recruited and 90% filled in a postal questionnaire 6 weeks after delivery, copying neonatal information (including Apgar scores) from the PCHR. This information was compared with data independently recorded at birth by physicians in maternity medical records. RESULTS: We found that the proportion of missing Apgar scores in the PCHR was higher when scores in the medical records were lower. Moreover, Apgar scores reported in the PCHR were overestimated when scores in the medical records were low. Using medical records as the gold standard, specificity for PCHR-reported 1-min Apgar score was 100% and sensitivity 33%. Similar trends were found for the 5-min score. This supports the hypothesis that information considered as 'socially sensitive' by physicians may be intentionally altered in PCHRs. CONCLUSIONS: Apgar scores reported in PCHRs may not yield reliable information for epidemiological studies. When the PCHR is the only source of information for the neonatal period in an epidemiological study, it would be preferable to use a composite neonatal indicator rather than the Apgar score.
Authors:
Pénélope Troude; Laurence Foix L'Hélias; Anne-Marie Raison-Boulley; Christine Castel; Jean Bouyer; Elise de La Rochebrochard
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Validation Studies     Date:  2008-08-19
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of paediatrics and child health     Volume:  44     ISSN:  1440-1754     ISO Abbreviation:  J Paediatr Child Health     Publication Date:  2008 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-11-17     Completed Date:  2009-02-25     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9005421     Medline TA:  J Paediatr Child Health     Country:  Australia    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  665-9     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Ined, F-75020 Paris, France.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Apgar Score*
Epidemiologic Studies*
Female
France
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Medical Records / standards*
Questionnaires
Young Adult

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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