BACKGROUND:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately 20,000 infants are born to hepatitis B surface antigen positive mothers each year in the United States. In 1989, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment modified the birth certificate based on the recommendations of the National Center for Health Statistics to contain information on whether the pregnant woman was tested for hepatitis B. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment birth certificate data, about 5%-10% of pregnant women did not get HBsAg testing each year since 1998.

OBJECTIVE:
Determine the accuracy of the birth certificate data on reporting if hepatitis B testing was conducted in women who gave birth in 2002.

METHOD:
Compare the birth certificate database to the information found in the hospital chart regarding hepatitis B testing on the pregnant woman. In 2002, there were 68,587 births in Colorado and 65,162 (95.1%) were screened for HBsAg according to the birth certificate data. Fifty-three percent of the total births in 2002 (N=36,656) occurred in ten hospitals. The sample population for this study will come from births that occurred in these ten hospitals. I will use the birth certificate database to draw a random sample of 1,300 records. I will review hospital records (reference standard) and the results from the hospital records will be compared to the information recorded in the birth certificate database.
Sensitivity and specificity rates will be calculated.

RESULT:
I am in the process of reviewing records and do not have any results to report at this time. The expected date of completion is December 30, 2004.

CONCLUSION:
There are no conclusions to report at this time.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Determine the accuracy of birth certificate data in Colorado regarding hepatitis B testing in women who gave birth in 2002.
2. Discuss the limitations of this study and opportunities for future study.