Percentage of primary care and medical specialist offices using electronic medical records, 2012 and 2016

BackgroundElectronic medical records (EMRs) from primary care may be a feasible source of height and weight data. However, the use of EMRs in research has been impeded by lack of standardisation of EMRs systems, data access and concerns about the quality of the data.ObjectivesThe study objectives were to determine the data completeness and accuracy of child heights and weights collected in primary care EMRs, and to identify factors associated with these data quality attributes.MethodsA cross-sectional study examining height and weight data for children <19 years from EMRs through the Electronic Medical Record Administrative data Linked Database (EMRALD), a network of family practices across the province of Ontario. Body mass index z-scores were calculated using the World Health Organization Growth Standards and Reference.ResultsA total of 54,964 children were identified from EMRALD. Overall, 93% had at least one complete set of growth measurements to calculate a body mass index (BMI) z-score. 66.2% of all primary care visits had complete BMI z-score data. After stratifying by visit type 89.9% of well-child visits and 33.9% of sick visits had complete BMI z-score data; incomplete BMI z-score was mainly due to missing height measurements. Only 2.7% of BMI z-score data were excluded due to implausible values.ConclusionsData completeness at well-child visits and overall data accuracy were greater than 90%. EMRs may be a valid source of data to provide estimates of obesity in children who attend primary care.

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58 Overweight and obesity in children with autism spectrum disorder: Findings from primary care electronic medical records

Paediatrics & Child Health ◽

10.1093/pch/pxaa068.057 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. e24-e24

Author(s):

Laura M Kinlin ◽

Sarah Carsley ◽

Charles Keown-Stoneman ◽

Natasha Saunders ◽

Karen Tu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Electronic Medical Records ◽

Medical Records ◽

Weight Status ◽

Severe Obesity ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Introduction/Background Paediatric overweight and obesity are important public health problems worldwide. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be at increased risk compared to their typically-developing peers; however, prevalence estimates in ASD have varied widely and existing studies have largely been limited by use of an external comparison group. Objectives To compare prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and youth (<19 years of age) with and without ASD, using electronic medical record data from paediatric primary care visits. Design/Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of EMRPC (Electronic Medical Records Primary Care) data, representing 385 family physicians in 43 clinics in Ontario, Canada. Age- and sex-standardized body mass index (BMI) z-scores were calculated using abstracted heights and weights from the most recent visit between January 2011 and December 2015. Weight status was determined using World Health Organization growth reference standards. ASD was defined using a previously-validated algorithm in EMRPC, based on an ASD-related term in the ‘Cumulative Patient Profile.’ Chi-square test statistics and multinomial logistic regression were used to compare weight status of those with and without ASD. Results In total, 44,625 children and youth were included, 632 [1.42%] with ASD. Distribution of weight status was significantly different between those with and without ASD (p<0.001) [Table 1]. Compared to their typically-developing peers, children with ASD had significantly higher odds of overweight (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24-1.87), obesity (unadjusted OR 2.55 (2.00-3.26) and severe obesity (unadjusted OR 3.09; 95% CI 2.08-4.60); these associations persisted after adjusting for sex, age, neighborhood income quintile and rural residence (Table 2). Conclusion Data from a large primary care database suggest that children with ASD are at substantially increased risk of overweight, obesity and severe obesity. Findings support the need for anticipatory guidance, prevention and management strategies specific to this clinical population. Future work will aim to better understand at what age differences in weight status emerge, and what nutritional, behavioural, or medical factors differentially affect weight status in the ASD population.

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