Overview of National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Systems Mary Burgess

NCHS IS THE NATION’S PRINCIPAL HEALTH STATISTICS AGENCY Provides critical information on where we stand as individuals and as a society Identifies current public health challenges Provides mechanisms for obtaining consistent, uniform statistics that can be used to make comparisons between population groups or geographic areas Provides the means to understand trends in health change and future data needs over time.

Section 308(d), Public Health Service Act Freedom of Information Act Privacy Act DATA CONFIDENTIALITY How NCHS Protects Privacy Legal Provisions that protect NCHS respondents:

NCHS PRIVACY SAFEGUARDS Blocks outside access to confidential information stored in NCHS computers. Requires nondisclosure affidavit. Data files are routinely cleaned of anything that could directly identify a person or firm. Any personal information release requires the approval of the Center’s Director Confidentiality training for all staff. Random inspections by the NCHS Confidentiality Officer.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS Vital statistics data collected in partnership with States Household interview surveys Examination surveys Health care provider surveys

DATA USES Comparisons across populations, providers, and geographic areas Planning/assessing public health programs Identifying health problems, risk factors, and disease patterns

NATIONAL VITAL STATISTICS SYSTEM

RELATED SURVEYS Linked Birth and Infant Death Data Set Tracks infant mortality by birth and period cohorts Tracks infant mortality by birthweight

Tracks factors associated with low birthweight Looks at barriers & facilitators to prenatal care factors on pregnancy outcomes Analyzes the effects of maternal risk National Maternal & Infant Health Survey

NATIONAL MORTALITY FOLLOWBACK SURVEY Mortality by socioeconomic factors Premature death Health care and cost of health care Use of health care in the last year of life

NATIONAL SURVEY OF FAMILY GROWTH Conception and sterilization Teenage sexual activity and pregnancy Family planning and unintended pregnancy

NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY

Evaluation of immunization status of preschool population Demographic characteristics Family resources data Health care utilization National Immunization Survey

State & Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey Provides quick turnaround data on a variety of broad health and welfare-related issues

NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SURVEY

National Hospital Discharge Survey Principal source of information on inpatient utilization of hospitals

National Survey Of Ambulatory Surgery Provides detailed data on the use of freestanding and hospital-based ambulatory surgery in the United States

Provides data on visits to physicians, including information on patient characteristics, diagnostic procedures, patient management, and planned future treatment.. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Diagnoses & treatment Characteristics of patients’ visits to hospital outpatient departments (OPD)

Number and characteristics of residents in nursing homes Functional status of nursing home residents People discharged from nursing homes Characteristics of nursing homes National Nursing Home Survey

National Home And Hospice Care Survey Number of patients and functional status Number of discharged patients Characteristics of home health agencies, hospices and their patients

OTHER NCHS ACTIVITIES

Develops and tests NCHS data collection instruments. Supports methodological research on questionnaires and response Questionnaire design research program Office Of Research And Methodology Other NCHS Activities

EXTRAMURAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES Board of Scientific Counselors National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics 21st Century Vision for Health Statistics Department of Health Human Services Data Council Centers for Excellence in Health Statistics Nutrition Monitoring

RESEARCH DATA CENTER Provides access to internal NCHS data files that have not previously been available to the research community Provides access to data that contain lower levels of geography such State, county, census tract, block- group, or blocks depending on the survey.

EXAMPLES OF DATA SYSTEMS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE RDC National Health Interview Survey – State and County level National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey – State and County level National Hospital Discharge Survey – State National Survey of Family Growth - Contextual Data Files

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS Collaborative Activities: Joint Survey – Statistics Canada and NCHS United Nations, International Labor Organization Mission - Chile Hungarian Health Interview Survey – Hungary The International Collaborative Effort (ICE) on injury statistics NCHS directly supports the World Health Organization (WHO) in worldwide health statistics activities.

DATA DISSEMINATION NCHS Survey Data Are Presented In A Variety Of Publication Formats: Published Reports Journal Articles Chartbooks Electronic Products

HEALTH, UNITED STATES 2001 with Urban and Rural Health Chartbook Available In Printed & Electronic Formats

VISIT THE NCHS WEBSITE

THANK YOU Mary Burgess