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Illinois Birth Defects Tracking Program Program
Title: Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Reporting System
Organization: Division of Epidemiologic Studies, Illinois
Department of Public Health
Project Period: September 2003–June 2008
Project Director: Tiefu Shen, MD, PhD
Grant Title: Population-Based Birth Defects Surveillance
Programs and the Utilization of Surveillance Data by Public Health
Programs
Project Summary
The Illinois Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
Reporting System (APORS) is a population-based birth defects
registry that uses both passive and active case identification from
multiple sources. The APORS guides public health policy to reduce
adverse pregnancy outcomes, infant mortality, and developmental
disabilities. It also collects and tracks data on children who need
special services to prevent, reduce, and correct health problems and
disabling conditions.
Through this project, the APORS is using surveillance data for birth
defect prevention activities and to improve access to health
services for eligible children with birth defects and their
families. At the same time, the project will expand and upgrade the
operation of APORS to meet the data use goals.
Project Goals and ActivitiesSurveillance
- Use techniques such as posters and stickers to remind
nursing staff to report APORS cases.
- Improve case completeness of newborn reporting by training
health care staff, matching APORS newborn cases with hospital
discharge and birth data, and actively verifying new case
findings.
- Provide ongoing training to APORS staff about major birth
defects, diagnosis, and treatment.
Prevention
- Continue to send surveillance data to key
partners, e.g. CDC and March of Dimes (MOD).
- Work with the MOD to implement activities to
prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) and other birth defects.
- Continue to refer children with NTDs to
local health departments for recurrence prevention.
- Provide county-specific NTD surveillance
reports for 10 counties with high-risk populations.
- Continue to work with state Maternal and
Child Health programs to share surveillance data, provide birth
defects prevention materials, and find opportunities for
prevention activities.
Referrals
- Evaluate how effectively and quickly APORS
refers high-risk infants to local health departments for
follow-up services.
- Work with the Illinois Department of Human
Services to analyze the follow-up services that local health
departments provide to high-risk infants.
- Refer at-risk infants to the Illinois Early
Intervention Program and Division of Specialized Care for
Children.
Date:
January 03, 2008
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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