OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine primary sources of data for electronic birth certificates. METHODS: A survey was administered from 1997 through 1998 to maternity facilities in New Jersey requesting information about what primary information sources were used for 53 electronic birth certificate variables. Potential information sources included the facilities' maternal and infant medical records, the prenatal record, and a parent-completed birth certificate worksheet. RESULTS: Among the 66 maternity facilities responding, there was significant variation in the choice of primary data sources for the electronic birth certificate variables examined. CONCLUSIONS: The variability of primary sources for electronic birth certificate data acquisition represents a potential cause of systematic error in reported vital statistics information.
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