title: Assessing prenatal hepatitis B screening in Illinois with an inexpensive study design adaptable to other jurisdictions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study estimated, using an economical survey design adaptable to other jurisdictions, the proportion of birth admissions in Illinois hospitals in which mothers were not screened for hepatitis B surface antigen prior to delivery. It also identified factors associated with lack of screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on a cluster sampling design, 1372 birth records were sampled, and data were abstracted by local personnel at 56 hospitals. Selected data elements were reabstracted on a subsample to evaluate recording errors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reabstracted data demonstrated 95% agreement among reviewers. Hepatitis B surface antigen screening was documented for 90.7% of mothers; 11% of responding hospitals accounted for 45% of nonscreened mothers. Risk factors for not being screened included no prenatal care, Medicaid or no insurance, and delivery at a hospital lacking a written hepatitis B surface antigen policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Illinois, prenatal hepatitis B surface antigen screening rates were high and similar to those in other states. Births without screening or transferred information clustered in a few hospitals. The methods used here can economically identify underscreened populations by sampling a large number of hospitals within designated areas.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago 60612, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hershow
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Handler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000191:economics*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012107:Research Design