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The reliability and validity of birth certificates.

Sally Northam1, Thomas R Knapp

  • 1TWU College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX 76204-5498, USA. snortham@mail.twu.edu

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing : JOGNN
|February 10, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Birth certificate data reliability and validity vary. Nurses can improve this crucial data source for tracking infant mortality, ensuring accurate health information.

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Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Informatics

Background:

  • Birth certificates are vital for monitoring U.S. infant mortality.
  • Existing data highlight significant reliability and validity issues in birth certificate variables.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the reliability and validity of U.S. birth certificate data.
  • To advocate for nurses to lead improvements in birth data quality.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a comprehensive literature search on birth certificate reliability and validity.
  • Reviewed 24 primary research studies assessing U.S. birth certificate data accuracy.
  • Critically analyzed and categorized studies by variable and data type (reliability/validity).

Main Results:

  • Reliability and validity of birth certificate data are inconsistent across variables.
  • Items like insurance, birthweight, Apgar score, and delivery method show higher reliability.
  • Data on tobacco/alcohol use, prenatal care, and complications are often unreliable and invalid.

Conclusions:

  • Despite being a key data source for infant mortality, birth certificates have significant data quality problems.
  • Nurses, due to their proximity to mothers and infants, are uniquely positioned to enhance data accuracy.
  • Recommendations for improving birth certificate data quality are provided.

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