Mission

To develop and maintain a birth defects reporting and information system for Georgia that supports the early and accurate identification of children with birth defects to facilitate prevention, planning and evaluation programs and improved access to health care services.

Description

The Georgia Birth Defects Reporting and Information System (GBDRIS) is a surveillance system designed to provide information on incidence, prevalence, trends and epidemiology of birth defects. The GBDRIS collects information on children from birth to eighteen years of age. The system relies on existing data as well as hospital, laboratory and provider reporting. The GBDRIS is maintained by the Maternal and Child Health Unit of the Epidemiology Branch, Division of Public Health, Department of Community Health (DPH).

Background

• Birth defects are reportable under State Laws Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) 31-12-2 and 31-1-3.2 which mandate the reporting of notifiable diseases and newborn hearing screening, and Chapters 290-5-3-.02 and 290-5-24 of the Rules of Department of Human Resources, which regulate the reporting of notifiable diseases and metabolic disorders.
• Mandatory reporting has been active throughout the state since 2003.
• The following conditions are reportable upon diagnosis in any child younger than 18 years:
  
  

  Condition	ICD-9	ICD-10
  Congenital anomalies	740-759.9	Q00-Q99
  Fetal alcohol syndrome	760.7	P04
  Genetic and metabolic conditions	240-279	E00-E88
  Cerebral palsy	343	G80
  Sickle-cell anemia	282.6	D57
  and other hemoglobinopathies	282.4 and 282.7	D56 and D58

• Data from the following DPH sources may be used in combination with the data provided by hospitals, laboratories and providers within the registry:
  • Electronic Birth Certificates
  • Fetal Death Certificates
  • Death Certificates
  • Hospital Discharge Database
  • Medicaid Data
  • Newborn Metabolic and Sickle Cell Screening Program
  • Newborn Hearing Screening Program
  • WIC

Objectives

• Provide early identification of children with birth defects for referral to health services and early intervention programs
• Develop and maintain a population-based birth defects registry
• Describe and monitor the patterns of birth defects in Georgia
• Compile and disseminate surveillance data
• Facilitate data sharing to support and evaluate prevention activities
• Provide a resource for information about the epidemiology of birth defects for researchers and health care professionals

Security/Confidentiality Issues

Control procedures have been established to protect the privacy of all families, infants, physicians, and hospitals. All data within the GBDRIS are maintained on a secure network or stored in locked file cabinets.

All identifying information is kept strictly confidential and data are published or presented in a manner that ensures that no individual or institution can be identified. Case counts of fewer than 5 cases a year will not be published. However, these cases will still be included in summary data.

Collaborations

We plan to work collaboratively with many organizations in order to facilitate and participate in epidemiological studies, program evaluations, health education promotion programs and other research and prevention activities. Current and future partners include:

• March of Dimes
• Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program
• Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program
• Georgia Folic Acid Task Force
• Spina Bifida Association of Georgia
• Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
• The Carter Center