Impact Analysis of Texas Child Fatality Review Teams on Incidence and Select Cause of Death Determination

Migala, Witold M., Impact Analysis of Texas Child Fatality Review Teams on Incidence and Select Cause of Death Determination. Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Sciences), December 2000, 136 pp., 14 tables, reference list, 107 titles. To examine the impact of Child Fatality Review Teams (CFRT) on the overall death rates of children in Texas, those counties with CFRT representation were compared to counties without representation. Death rates for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and rates for death due to abuse, classified by ICD-9 coding, were also compared marked by CFRT representation. The Texas Department of Health’s Epigram database was used to collect death rate data. Age-adjusted death rates by gender, race/ethnicity, age group and cause of death were established for the five countries with CFRTs initiated in 1992; the two countries with teams initiated in 1993; and the 56 countries with teams initiated in 1994. These were compared to the death rates of counties without CFRT representation for the same years. Analyses were conducted by using t-tests, chi-square, and ARIMA statistics, and calculations of odds ratios and confidence intervals. The results of the inferential tests suggest that CFRT representation had a protective effect on children’s death rates contingent on the longevity of representation. Additional research regarding impact evaluation of multidisciplinary team representation on the incidence and rate of children’s deaths is recommended.