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The Vital Statistics Agency is involved in a number of projects concerning the incidence of birth defects and the prevalence of handicapping conditions. The Health Status Registry (HSR) can provide data to assist in response to concerns about perceived clusters of birth defects and to assess the effectiveness of screening programs and prevention activities.
The Health Status Registry is dependent upon complete and timely reporting of congenital anomalies, genetic conditions, and selected disabilities and handicapping conditions. Birth and death records, hospitals, health regions, and Medical Genetics departments provide information. Multiple reporting sources are an integral part of this kind of database. Reports on the same individual from different sources, or at different times, update and correct existing information, thus improving its accuracy and relevance. Although historically, data were collected from voluntary reporting sources, reporting is now mandatory under the Health Act (section 10). In recent years, the Agency has undertaken initiatives to improve HSR data quality.
The Agency has produced statistical summary reports for the HSR which present registrable conditions based on year of birth or by region of current residence. An updated report HSR report will be released in the fall of 2000.
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