title: [Use of the Internet to report congenital malformations on birth certificates at four public maternity hospitals in the city of São Paulo, Brazil].
abstract: The aim of this study was to improve the completion of item 34 on birth certificates at four maternity hospitals in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, in the year 2008. The database of the Municipal Health Department's Information System on Live Births was used to monitor trends in reporting birth defects. An electronic web-based medical record was used to refer indeterminate cases to a leading medical genetics referral center. The electronic medical record contained the patient history, physical examination, and photographs of the newborn. Four maternity hospitals were assessed, with a total of 10,000 births during the year. None of the four hospitals had a staff geneticist. According to the Information System on Live Births, there was an increase in the number of birth defects reported by the four maternity hospitals when compared to previous years and to records for the city of São Paulo as a whole. Based on the findings, the web-based referral and counter-referral method proved efficient.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. pablodenicola@gmail.com
authors.forename: Pablo Domingos Rodrigues
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: De Nicola
authors.forename: Mirlene Cecília Soares Pinho
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cernach
authors.forename: Ana Beatriz Alvarez
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Decio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brunoni
mesh_terms: D001719:Birth Certificates; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000379:methods*; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D050498:Live Birth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*