Set-up and future applications of the Taiwan Maternal and Child Health Database (TMCHD)

Objectives: To introduce the process of setting up the Taiwan Maternal and Child Health Database (TMCHD) and the content of the TMCHD. Methods: This project utilized the Taiwan Birth Registration Database (BRD), Birth Certificate Application (BCA), National Register of Death (NRD [2004-2011 for the BRD, BCA, and NRD]), and the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD [1998-2011]) to inter-link the medical claims of offspring and their parents. An effort was also made to restore the medical claims of a parent to his/her newborn; medical claims are usually issued to one of the parent within 60 days after birth. Results: The TMCHD includes the information derived from inpatient/outpatient claims of all infants born between 2004 and 2011, in addition to a number of variables recorded in the BRD, including birthweight, gestational age, and single/multiple births. The variables in the BCA, such as maternal smoking, alcohol consumption, and newborn Apgar scores, were identified in a separate file. The medical claims of parents retrieved from the NHIRD, including medical orders (1998-2011) and the information pertaining to mortality retrieved from the NRD (2001-2011), were arranged in separate files. Conclusions: The TMCHD can be used as material for life course studies and may provide better information for evidence-based health policy.