A comparison of gestational age reporting methods based on physician estimate and date of last normal menses from fetal death reports
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11038970 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Greg R Alexander (Johns Hopkins University), Donna J Petersen (0000-0001-7728-6500), Eve Powell‐griner, E Powell-Griner, Mark E Tompkins |
| Year | 1989 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 600-602 |
| Publication date | 1989-05-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048 |
| Publisher | American Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2105/ajph.79.5.600 |
| PMID | 2705595 |
| OpenAlex | W2065903239 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 10 |
Utilizing 10,587 cases from the 1980 National Center for Health Statistics Fetal Death Statistics File, we examined the comparability of two methods of determining the gestational age of a fetal death, the calculated interval from date of last normal menses (DLNM) and the physician's estimate. The physician estimated gestational age distribution exhibits even number digit preference and a distinct clustering at the 40-week value. The DLNM distribution appears more smoothly distributed but with a more pronounced post-term tail. An exact agreement between the two methods is observed in only 27.9 per cent of the cases. A 1.7 week mean difference between the methods indicates a systematic underestimation by physician reported gestational age when compared to that calculated from the DLNM, potentially biasing gestational age distributions when the physician estimate is substituted for cases with a missing DLNM. Over 8 per cent of cases 20+ weeks by DLNM are estimated as less than 20 weeks by the physician. This underestimation has important implications for the completeness of reporting of fetal deaths on vital records and the comparability of fetal death rates. Further, it may limit investigations of the completeness of reporting of less than 500 gram live births
Confidence interval · Gestational age · Obstetrics · Pregnancy · Demography · Global Maternal and Child Health · Health and Conflict Studies · Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Pediatrics
The accurate measurement of gestational age--a critical step toward improving fetal death reporting and perinatal health
Comparison of Two Measures of Gestational Age Among Low Income Births. The Potential Impact on Health Studies, New York, 2005
Male fetal loss in the U.S. following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
Variations in the reporting of gestational age at induced termination of pregnancy
Gestational interval from vital records
Potentialities and Limitations of Medical Data on Official Birth Certificates
Accuracy of fetal death reports
Underreporting of infant deaths
The quality and completeness of birthweight and gestational age data in computerized birth files
Variations in the reporting of gestational age at induced termination of pregnancy
| Citations per year | 0.11 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1989 - 2012 (24) |
| Highly cited | No |