Title
Validation of an algorithm to estimate gestational age in electronic health plan databases
UMMS Affiliation
Meyers Primary Care Institute
Publication Date
2013-5
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Medical Records Systems, Computerized; Algorithms; Gestational Age; Maternal Exposure
Disciplines
Databases and Information Systems | Epidemiology | Health Services Research | Medical Toxicology | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences | Reproductive and Urinary Physiology
Abstract
PURPOSE: To validate an algorithm that uses delivery date and diagnosis codes to define gestational age at birth in electronic health plan databases.
METHODS: Using data from 225 384 live born deliveries to women aged 15-45 years in 2001-2007 within eight of the 11 health plans participating in the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program, we compared (1) the algorithm-derived gestational age versus the "gold-standard" gestational age obtained from the infant birth certificate file and (2) the prenatal exposure status of two antidepressants (fluoxetine and sertraline) and two antibiotics (amoxicillin and azithromycin) as determined by the algorithm-derived versus the gold-standard gestational age.
RESULTS: The mean algorithm-derived gestational age at birth was lower than the mean obtained from the birth certificate file among singleton deliveries (267.9 vs 273.5 days) but not among multiple-gestation deliveries (253.9 vs 252.6 days). The algorithm-derived prenatal exposure to the antidepressants had a sensitivity and a positive predictive value of >/=95%, and a specificity and a negative predictive value of almost 100%. Sensitivity and positive predictive value were both >/=90%, and specificity and negative predictive value were both >99% for the antibiotics.
CONCLUSIONS: A gestational age algorithm based upon electronic health plan data correctly classified medication exposure status in most live born deliveries, but trimester-specific misclassification may be higher for drugs typically used for short durations. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
DOI of Published Version
10.1002/pds.3407
Source
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2013 May;22(5):524-32. doi: 10.1002/pds.3407. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
Related Resources
PubMed ID
23335117
Repository Citation
Li Q, Andrade SE, Cooper WO, Davis RL, Dublin S, Hammad TA, Pawloski P, Pinheiro SP, Raebel MA, Scott PE, Smith DH, Dashevsky I, Haffenreffer K, Johnson KE, Toh S. (2013). Validation of an algorithm to estimate gestational age in electronic health plan databases. Meyers Primary Care Institute Publications. https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.3407. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/meyers_pp/667