Am J Perinatol 2019; 36(12): 1278-1287
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1676631
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Updating a Perinatal Risk Scoring System to Predict Infant Mortality

Amna Umer
1   Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
,
Christa Lilly
2   Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
,
Candice Hamilton
1   Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
,
Lesley Cottrell
1   Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
,
Timothy Lefeber
1   Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
,
Thomas Hulsey
3   Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
,
Collin John
1   Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
› Institutsangaben
Funding The West Virginia WATCH/Birth Score Program is funded under an agreement with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Maternal, Child, and Family Health.
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

20. Juli 2018

07. November 2018

Publikationsdatum:
28. Dezember 2018 (online)

Abstract

Objective The Birth Score Project (Project WATCH) began in the rural state of West Virginia (WV) in the United States in 1984. The project is intended to identify newborns with a greater risk of infant mortality. The primary objective of this study was to update the current Birth Score based on current literature and rigorous statistical methodology.

Study Design The study merged data from the Birth Score, Birth Certificate (birth years 2008–2013), and Infant Mortality Data (N = 121,640). The merged data were randomly divided into developmental (N = 85,148) and validation (N = 36,492) datasets. Risk scoring system was developed using the weighted multivariate risk score functions and consisted of infant and maternal factors.

Results The updated score ranged from 0 to 86. Infants with a score of ≥17 were categorized into the high score group (n = 15,387; 18.1%). The odds of infant mortality were 5.6 times higher (95% confidence interval: 4.4, 7.1) among those who had a high score versus low score.

Conclusion The updated score is a better predictor of infant mortality than the current Birth Score. This score has practical relevance for physicians in WV to identify newborns at the greatest risk of infant mortality and refer the infants to primary pediatric services and case management for close follow-up.

Authors' Contributions

A. U. conceptualized and designed the study, performed the initial analyses, and drafted the initial manuscript. C. L. conceptualized and designed the study, designed the initial analyses, drafted the initial manuscript, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. C. H. conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the historical significance of manuscript, and critically reviewed the manuscript. L. C., T. L., and T. H. conceptualized and designed the study and contributed to critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. C. J. conceptualized and designed the study and drafted the introduction and the discussion sections of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.


Note

The data supporting the current findings are not publicly available.


Supplementary Material

 
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