The study of data quality itself remains fraught with methodological issues, including the generalizability of results due to small populations in many studies. We would assert that, owing to the need for high-quality data to inform public health decisions, staff should be trained to properly utilize existing tools such as standardized worksheets in a reliable manner. Technological advances such as ongoing web-based training sessions could provide a low cost means to accomplish this goal.
The birth certificate is a living organism that matures and evolves. It has undergone many changes over time. In addition to its demographic importance, birth certificate data are an important source of information for researchers, policy makers and state officials to evaluate quality of care being delivered to pregnant women. Advances in technology have allowed for linkages of administrative data to other sources of information including Medicaid, death certificates and other publically funded programs like WIC and food stamps.
With the increased use of administrative data to evaluate and improve the quality of care, the need to insure accuracy and completeness is essential. With the advent of a universal electronic format of the birth certificate, there are more opportunities to improve data quality, especially through standardized worksheets and web-based training programs. Furthermore, as electronic linkages are created among birth certificates, medical records, and other databases such as newborn screening, medical treatment for individuals will be optimized.
The economic challenges that we as a nation are now facing may result in a push to postpone improvements to vital statistics. Nevertheless, with history as our guide, we can see that without such reliable high-quality data, we cannot use our resources wisely. Hetzel AM. History and organization of the vital statistics system. Google Scholar. Brown E. Value of the Vital Statistics Data on birth and death certificates in county health work.
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Featured Clinical Topics. Jump to Jump to Close. Search Page. Resources Close. Recommendations Obstetrician—gynecologists play an essential role in ensuring accurate representation of pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths and other vital statistics for policy makers, public health institutions, and researchers. Background Vital statistics provide continuous data on births and maternal and fetal deaths collected at the local level, compiled by states, and transmitted to the CDC's NCHS 1 2.
The National Vital Statistics System The National Vital Statistics System is one of the oldest and most successful examples of intergovernmental data sharing in public health. Birth Registration Birth certificates contain a wealth of data that are important for national surveillance, research, and directing public health prevention and intervention strategies. Death Registration Every state is required to report all maternal deaths. Fetal Death Reports In the U. Use of Vital Records for Health Care Quality Improvement An integral part of quality improvement efforts is having baseline measurements of current quality of care and an ongoing data collection system that allows continuous measurement of the effect of these interventions.
Efforts to Improve the Vital Records System The vital records system faces many challenges, including its decentralized nature, a lack of standardization of terms and procedures, and slow transitions to electronic systems. Resources The following resources are for information purposes only. References National Center for Health Statistics.
Retrieved May 11, Article Location. Article Location Article Location. It can also help protect migrant and refugee children against family separation, trafficking and illegal adoption. Without it, these children are at a much higher risk of statelessness, meaning they do not have legal ties to any country, including a nationality. They may be unable to attend school or register for exams. As a result, their future job opportunities are extremely limited, which makes them more likely to live in poverty.
In young adulthood, children will need this official identification for basic but important transactions like opening a bank account, registering to vote, getting a passport, entering the formal job market, buying or inheriting property, or receiving social assistance. Birth registration is almost universal in most high-income countries. But in low- and middle-income countries, on average, one in four children under age 5 million are not registered.
Of these million children, half live in just five countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Even when children are registered, they may not have proof of registration. An estimated million children under age 5 worldwide currently do not have a birth certificate. In most circumstances, these children live in poorer households, often in rural areas with limited access to registration services, or in the more than countries without fully functioning civil registration systems.
In other cases, parents may be unaware of birth registration or may not understand how important it is. Cost is also a significant barrier: parents may be unable to afford the costs associated with registration, including travel to registration sites or late fees. Certain ethnic or religious minorities have lower birth registration rates than the national average.
This may be because their culture places more emphasis on other customs like naming ceremonies , or because they are marginalized, often living in remote areas or unrecognized by their governments.
And in a number of countries, women do not share the same rights as men when it comes to registering their children. Some are unable to register their children at all, while others may only be able to do so with the father present.
There are still 25 countries where women do not have the same rights as men to legally pass their nationality to their own children.
This kind of gender discrimination in national laws and policies needs to be reviewed and revised to eliminate the negative impacts on communities. A mother may face gender discrimination when she tries to register her child, for something as simple as not having an ID or marriage certificate, or if the father was not present or named on the birth form.
Women may be unable to register their children if the father is unknown, or if he refuses to acknowledge paternity — such as in cases of survivors of rape or incest. Lack of birth registration can also reinforce existing gender gaps in areas like education.
Worldwide, million girls are out of school, and these girls are more likely than out-of-school boys to never enrol in school.
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