Completeness and accuracy of reporting of malformations on birth certificates.

Background and Purpose The Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Dental Health, Public Health Service, in its National Cleft Lip and Palate Intelligence Service, uses birth certificates for studies of clefts and other congenital malformations. In this study an attempt was made to assess how faithfully the data recorded on birth certificates reflect the incidence of congenital malformations diagnosed in newborn infants. Two elements of the problem were investigated using hospital records as a standard. Completeness of reporting was measured by the number and types of malformations reported on the birth certificates, and accuracy was evaluated by the specificity and fidelity of language describing the conditions. Another purpose of this study was to analyze selected variables that may be related to the completeness of congenital malformation reporting on birth certificates.