title: Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network: design, methods and recruitment experience.
abstract: The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN) has conducted a multisite, population-based, case-control study, with prospective enrollment of stillbirths and livebirths at the time of delivery. This paper describes the general design, methods and recruitment experience. The SCRN attempted to enroll all stillbirths and a representative sample of livebirths occurring to residents of pre-defined geographical catchment areas delivering at 59 hospitals associated with five clinical sites. Livebirths <32 weeks gestation and women of African descent were oversampled. The recruitment hospitals were chosen to ensure access to at least 90% of all stillbirths and livebirths to residents of the catchment areas. Participants underwent a standardised protocol including maternal interview, medical record abstraction, placental pathology, biospecimen testing and, in stillbirths, post-mortem examination. Recruitment began in March 2006 and was completed in September 2008 with 663 women with a stillbirth and 1932 women with a livebirth enrolled, representing 69% and 63%, respectively, of the women identified. Additional surveillance for stillbirths continued until June 2009 and a follow-up of the case-control study participants was completed in December 2009. Among consenting women, there were high consent rates for the various study components. For the women with stillbirths, 95% agreed to a maternal interview, chart abstraction and a placental pathological examination; 91% of the women with a livebirth agreed to all of these components. Additionally, 84% of the women with stillbirths agreed to a fetal post-mortem examination. This comprehensive study is poised to systematically study a wide range of potential causes of, and risk factors for, stillbirths and to better understand the scope and incidence of the problem.
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194, USA. rette@rti.org
authors.forename: Corette B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Carol J R
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hogue
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willinger
authors.forename: Uma M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Vanessa R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Thorsten
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Dudley
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coustan
authors.forename: George R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Saade
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Varner
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stoll
authors.forename: Halit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pinar
authors.forename: Radek
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bukowski
authors.forename: Marshall
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult