Methods of Tracking Newborns: New York State Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry, 2015–2017

Abstract

Objectives. To describe methods employed to track infants enrolled in the New York State Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry (NYSZPIR) and demonstrate the benefits of population databases to improve the process. Methods. We used patient medical records and provider outreach, New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), and New York State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Information System (NYEHDI-IS) to gather medical information. We used descriptive statistics to summarize variables and the McNemar test to determine statistical significance (P < .05). Results. We identified 109 live births from NYSZPIR mothers. Provider information was documented for 106 (97.2%) infants in NYSIIS compared with 72 (66.1%) through chart review. Collected results of newborn hearing screening increased from 82 (75.2%) to 106 (97.2%) using NYEHDI-IS. The amount of data obtained was significantly higher (P < .001) when including NYSIIS and NYEHDI-IS compared with using medical records alone. Conclusions. Public health surveillance systems can be used to track infants using data sources such as NYSIIS and NYEHDI-IS in addition to traditional methods. Using medical records alone is inadequate for locating and tracking infants and may result in high lost to follow-up rates.