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Maternal recall and medical records: an examination of events during pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Githens, PB; Glass, CA; Sloan, FA; Entman, SS
Published in: Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)
September 1993

It is not currently known whether sufficiently precise data on a previous pregnancy, labor and delivery, and early infancy can be obtained retrospectively. We conducted a telephone survey in 1991 of women who delivered babies between 1984 and 1986 at two teaching hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, to assess how well mothers recall information on factors predictive of an adverse birth outcome. The survey yielded 102 usable responses that were compared with hospital records for mothers and infants. Overall, 89 percent agreement was found between women's responses and their charts. Respondents were not reluctant to answer potentially sensitive questions, and their technical knowledge was typically better for their own health than about some prenatal diagnostic procedures and their infants' health. We found no difference in recall accuracy according to whether mothers experienced some adversity with the index pregnancy. Accurate perinatal information can generally be obtained with a recall period as high as four to six years.

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Published In

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)

DOI

EISSN

1523-536X

ISSN

0730-7659

Publication Date

September 1993

Volume

20

Issue

3

Start / End Page

136 / 141

Related Subject Headings

  • Risk Factors
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Pregnancy
  • Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
  • Mothers
  • Memory
  • Medical Records
  • Labor, Obstetric
  • Humans
 

Citation

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Githens, P. B., Glass, C. A., Sloan, F. A., & Entman, S. S. (1993). Maternal recall and medical records: an examination of events during pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy. Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 20(3), 136–141. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-536x.1993.tb00438.x
Githens, P. B., C. A. Glass, F. A. Sloan, and S. S. Entman. “Maternal recall and medical records: an examination of events during pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) 20, no. 3 (September 1993): 136–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-536x.1993.tb00438.x.
Githens PB, Glass CA, Sloan FA, Entman SS. Maternal recall and medical records: an examination of events during pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy. Birth (Berkeley, Calif). 1993 Sep;20(3):136–41.
Githens, P. B., et al. “Maternal recall and medical records: an examination of events during pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), vol. 20, no. 3, Sept. 1993, pp. 136–41. Epmc, doi:10.1111/j.1523-536x.1993.tb00438.x.
Githens PB, Glass CA, Sloan FA, Entman SS. Maternal recall and medical records: an examination of events during pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy. Birth (Berkeley, Calif). 1993 Sep;20(3):136–141.
Journal cover image

Published In

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)

DOI

EISSN

1523-536X

ISSN

0730-7659

Publication Date

September 1993

Volume

20

Issue

3

Start / End Page

136 / 141

Related Subject Headings

  • Risk Factors
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Pregnancy
  • Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
  • Mothers
  • Memory
  • Medical Records
  • Labor, Obstetric
  • Humans