title: Use of birth defects monitoring programs for assessing the effects of maternal substance abuse on pregnancy outcomes.
abstract: We have attempted to demonstrate that birth defects surveillance systems are a unique adjunct to clinical research data on maternal exposures, including substances of abuse. Surveillance system data reflect the experiences of the populations from which they are drawn and the characteristics of the people in those populations. Sensitive systems may reveal trends in health status and changes in behavioral, cultural, social, or environmental exposures. They can be used to monitor changing trends, to identify clusters for investigation, to generate and test hypotheses, and to conduct epidemiological studies. For researchers to interpret data derived from surveillance systems appropriately and wisely, they need a thorough knowledge of the data sources, the data-collection procedures, and the intent of the surveillance systems. Researchers using surveillance data should have a thorough understanding of the quality of their data and the methodologic subtleties that bear on its interpretation; researchers reviewing scientific literature based on surveillance data should be aware of the strengths and limitations inherent in the data.
authors.affiliation: Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Edmonds
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012306:Risk; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D003042:Cocaine