Introduction : This quality assurance project was designed to determine the reliability, completeness and comprehensiveness of the data entered into Niday Perinatal Database.

Methods : Quality of the data was measured by comparing data re-abstracted from the patient record to the original data entered into the Niday Perinatal Database. A representative sample of hospitals in Ontario was selected and a random sample of 100 linked mother and newborn charts were audited for each site. A subset of 33 variables (representing 96 data fields) from the Niday dataset was chosen for re-abstraction.

Results : Of the data fields for which Cohen’s kappa statistic or intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICCC ) was calculated, 44% showed substantial or almost perfect agreement (beyond chance). However, about 17% showed less than 95% agreement and a kappa or ICC value of less than 60% indicating only slight, fair or moderate agreement (beyond chance).

Discussion : Recommendations to improve the quality of these data fields are presented.