title: Improving Information on Maternal Medication Use by Linking Prescription Data to Congenital Anomaly Registers: A EUROmediCAT Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research on associations between medication use during pregnancy and congenital anomalies is significative for assessing the safe use of a medicine in pregnancy. Congenital anomaly (CA) registries do not have optimal information on medicine exposure, in contrast to prescription databases. Linkage of prescription databases to the CA registries is a potentially effective method of obtaining accurate information on medicine use in pregnancies and the risk of congenital anomalies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We linked data from primary care and prescription databases to five European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) CA registries. The linkage was evaluated by looking at linkage rate, characteristics of linked and non-linked cases, first trimester exposure rates for six groups of medicines according to the prescription data and information on medication use registered in the CA databases, and agreement of exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 52,619 cases registered in the CA databases, 26,552 could be linked. The linkage rate varied between registries over time and by type of birth. The first trimester exposure rates and the agreements between the databases varied for the different medicine groups. Information on anti-epileptic drugs and insulins and analogue medicine use recorded by CA registries was of good quality. For selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, anti-asthmatics, antibacterials for systemic use, and gonadotropins and other ovulation stimulants, the recorded information was less complete.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Linkage of primary care or prescription databases to CA registries improved the quality of information on maternal use of medicines in pregnancy, especially for medicine groups that are less fully registered in CA registries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. l.de.jonge@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Department, Hospital Lillebaelt, Kolding, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garne
authors.affiliation: Agenzia regionale di sanità della Toscana, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gini
authors.affiliation: College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.|Medical Birth Registry of Norway, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klungsoyr
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nursing and Health Research, Ulster University, Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loane
authors.affiliation: Registro IMER-IMER Registry (Emila Romagna Registry of Birth Defects), Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Neville
authors.affiliation: Tuscany Registry of Congenital Defects (RTDC), Fondazione Toscana "Gabriele Monasterio", Pisa, Italy.|Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (IFC-CNR), Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierini
authors.affiliation: Drug Policy Service, Emilia Romagna Regional Health Authority, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puccini
authors.affiliation: SAIL Databank, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Thayer
authors.affiliation: Public Health Wales, Singleton Hospital, Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vinkel Hansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marian K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bakker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*