Can routine information systems be used to monitor serious disability?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether reliable birth cohort prevalence rates of disabling conditions in early childhood can be obtained from child health information systems.


METHODS
Comparison of two sources of information on motor and sensory disabilities: from child health information systems held by health authorities, and a population register that uses multiple sources of ascertainment.


METHODS
The counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire.


METHODS
Children born to residents of the three counties between 1984 and 1989.


RESULTS
Eight hundred and twenty children (6.0/1000 live births) were identified from the child health system as having one or more of the conditions, and 580 (4.2/1000 live births) were identified from the population register; however, only 284 children were identified by both sources.


CONCLUSIONS
It is currently impossible to monitor trends in the prevalence rate of disabling disorders in childhood using the child health information systems. Agreement about ways of collecting, recording, and collating information on disability would be a useful step towards realising the full potential of these systems.
D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology; D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003638:Deafness / Q000453:epidemiology; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology