The Pennsylvania PRAMS project is designed to significantly augment the Pennsylvania Department of Health surveillance of the state's maternal and child health issues and outcomes. As a research surveillance project, it will continue to generate a rich base of maternal and infant data and information that informs programmatic planning and evaluation across the wide network of services statewide. This project is ideally situated to contribute significantly in the Department's ongoing transition toward a stronger focus and reliance on data driven management strategies. Through targeted, scientifically designed surveying, the self-reported experiences, behaviors and health of Pennsylvania's mothers shortly before, during, and after pregnancy is captured for analysis. This survey outreach is conducted in a mixed-mode approach utilizing both mail and phone strategies to capture a representative response data set reflecting a multitude of topics and variables across multiple dimensions of pregnancy related behaviors and experiences. The PA PRAMS population of interest is Pennsylvania's women who are residents of the state and who have delivered a live-born infant within state. Through a scientifically-sound design, the PA PRAMS survey is conducted such that the response data set is representative of all Pennsylvania mothers in the population of interest. It is the objective of the PA PRAMS project is to continue generating and analyzing these rich, actionable data sets of self-reported maternal experiences;and in so doing, continue to reach or exceed the minimum response rate threshold each year. This will ensure that the data is reliable and epidemiologically-sound for analysis. It will facilitate the development of actionable findings to inform and influence maternal and child health programs. The broad, long-term goal of the PA PRAMS project is to reduce infant morbidity and mortality, as well as to promote maternal health through positively influencing and informing maternal and child health programs statewide.
Category B (Existing) PA PRAMS Project Project Narrative The value of the surveillance data and information obtained through the PA PRAMS project is clearly recognizable as significant in the Pennsylvania Department of Health's ongoing effort to identify and target service gaps in statewide maternal and child health intervention. This information is used for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of maternal and child health services. The project's primary relevance lies in its goal of reducing Pennsylvania infant morbidity and mortality and promoting maternal health through influence on existing programs;and in contributing to the identification of service gaps statewide.
