Clarification of How to Report Pre-eclampsia vs. Eclampsia
Gathering and reporting natality data is an important part of Birth Information Specialists’ work. Reporting accurate data is important to support quality measurements and improvements. Vital records data is used to analyze health trends, plan programs and to develop policies.
Recently, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) contacted CHS to note that reports of Hypertension – Eclampsia under Risk Factors from some facilities in 2019 were up by 39% from the previous year’s data, which is the highest percentage in recent years. NCHS asked CHS to contact hospitals who contributed to this increase to review their records and submit updates if needed.
So what contributed to the reported increase?
On the Facility Worksheet, there are three options to choose when a mother has been diagnosed with Hypertension:
- Hypertension – Pre-pregnancy (Chronic)
- Hypertension – Gestational (PIH, Pre-eclampsia)
- Hypertension – Eclampsia
The increase occurred because Hypertension - Eclampsia was selected. Only select Hypertension-Eclampsia when the mother is diagnosed with it. In your “Guide to Completing the Facility Worksheet for the Certificate of Live Birth and Report of Fetal Death” (page 19) it defines Eclampsia as: “Hypertension with proteinuria with generalized seizures or coma. May include pathologic edema”.
If the mother is diagnosed with Pre-eclampsia, choose either Hypertension – Pre-pregnancy (Chronic) or Hypertension – Gestational (PIH, Pre-eclampsia) depending on when she was diagnosed.
We are currently working on updating the Facility Worksheet to match the verbiage on the Prenatal Care Worksheet and corresponding OVERS screens.
If you have questions, please call Registration at 971-673-1151.
Fetal Death Disposition
What is fetal death? The legal definition in Oregon law (ORS 432.005) states that “fetal death” means death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy.
The death is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or extraction the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of the voluntary muscles. If you are unsure about whether a fetal death has occurred, we have developed a quick reference guide to assist you. This guide will also help you determine if a fetal death report is required to be filed with CHS.
A Fetal Death Disposition and Transit Permit will need to be printed if fetal remains are removed from the facility. This permit is required even if a fetal death report was not filed. The permit must accompany the remains to the funeral home, cemetery or crematorium. The Disposition Permit can be printed from OVERS by clicking on Print Forms from the Other Links section of the Fetal Death Registration Menu. If no fetal death report is filed, then the blank form can be printed by clicking on the forms tab in OVERS. Print two copies of the permit to give to the parents if they choose to move the remains themselves.
The person in charge (the funeral home or parents) of the place of final disposition will date and sign both copies of the final disposition authorization. Forward the first copy to the registrar of the county where the death occurred within 10 days of final disposition. The other copy will be retained by the cemetery or crematory.
For questions about fetal disposition, call Registration at 971-673-1151. To schedule a Fetal Death training, contact the Vital Records Trainer at 971-673-1353.
BIS Training - Deadline Extended!
Have you completed the BIS Training package yet? The training includes important information regarding Oregon law, an introduction to OVERS, and worksheet explanations, such as:
What is the difference between the AOP 45-31 and Affidavit 45-21 worksheets?
The answer to this, and much more, can be found in our BIS Training presentation.
All existing birth information specialists and midwives must complete this training and submit their training certificates by email: chs.partnerservices@dhsoha.state.or.us or fax: 971-673-1202 by September 30, 2020.
For more information, contact our Vital Records Trainer at 971-673-1353.
|
