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Arizona Birth Defects Tracking Program Program Title: Arizona Birth Defects Monitoring Program
Organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
Project Period: September 2003–June 2008
Project Director: Timothy J. Flood, MD
Grant Title: Population-Based Birth Defects Surveillance
Programs and the Utilization of Surveillance Data by Public Health Programs
Project Summary
The Arizona Birth Defects Monitoring Program (ABDMP)
is a population-based registry of children born with major birth
defects throughout Arizona. The program tracks trends in the number
of birth defects that occur, identifies groups at high risk for
certain defects, works on prevention activities, and helps refer
children for follow-up services.
Project Goals and Activities
Surveillance
- For children with neural tube defects (NTDs) and
oral clefts, reduce the time between birth and being listed in the registry from
12–15 months to 3–6 months. For children with all other birth defects, reduce
that time from 2–3 years to 6–18 months.
- Expand birth defects and prenatal surveillance statewide and
create a more efficient computer system to automatically request medical records
for children.
- Tell all hospitals in the state about new electronic reporting
requirements. Help hospitals carry out the new reporting, starting with those
that send the highest percentage of cases to the ABDMP.
Prevention
- Work with state and community groups to promote
use of folic acid before pregnancy and to reduce high-risk factors, such as
smoking and alcohol use, during pregnancy.
- Share data within Arizona to promote and evaluate
prevention activities and birth defects research.
Referrals
- Refer all children in the registry to the Arizona
Early Intervention Program—about 1,500 children a year.
- Develop a tool to find out which services children
with NTDs and clefts are referred to and enrolled in.
- Follow-up by phone with parents of children in the
registry to asses their health status.
Date:
January 03, 2008
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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