Pennsylvania Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PA PRAMS) Component A: Core Surveillance Project Summary/Abstract The Pennsylvania Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PA PRAMS) is an ongoing, population-based surveillance system designed to identify and monitor selected maternal experiences, attitudes and behaviors that occur before and during pregnancy, and during the child's early infancy. As an epidemiologic surveillance tool, it serves an important role within the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). The PA PRAMS program is ideally positioned within the PA DOH's Bureau of Family Health (BFH) which is the administrative hub of statewide programs and services addressing the needs of mothers, infants and children. PA PRAMS data supplement existing vital records and other sources of maternal, infant and child health data used by program directors, managers and administrators to plan and evaluate programs. The PA PRAMS program engages a mixed-mode (mail and telephone) surveying approach that adheres to the guidelines delineated within the PRAMS protocol. The primary instrument of data collection, the questionnaire, serves to capture responses across a wide range of maternal domains and variables. The population of interest is women who are Pennsylvania residents who delivered a live-born infant within the state. Through scientifically-based sampling, the survey is conducted such that the response data is representative of all statewide mothers in the population of interest. PA PRAMS is operated as a collaborative project designed to inform services and interventions statewide, driven primarily by the findings revealed. As such, analysis priorities and plans are informed by the programs and groups impacted. It is an objective of the project to continue generating and analyzing these rich, actionable datasets of self-reported experiences, attitudes and behaviors. It remains an aim of PA PRAMS to increase visibility and recognition as an ideal source of maternal and infant health information.
Pennsylvania Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PA PRAMS) Component A: Core Surveillance Project Narrative PA PRAMS has been expanding in visibility and recognition as a significant epidemiologic surveillance system at the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). Since implementation in 2007, the value and utility of the project's survey response data has risen, and the system represents a significant contribution to the PA DOH's ongoing efforts to manage and evaluate the state's maternal and child health services through data driven analysis. Findings are used to enhance understanding of maternal behaviors and their relationship with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The project's primary relevance lies within its contribution toward the goals of reducing Pennsylvania's infant morbidity and mortality, and the promotion of maternal and infant health through data-driven, strategic planning of programs and services.
