Apgar scores reported in personal child health records: validity for epidemiological studies?

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
Pénélope TroudeElise de La Rochebrochard

Abstract

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. 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. 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. A...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 7, 2011·Early Human Development·Pénélope TroudeElise de La Rochebrochard

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