Development of a statewide Maternal and Child Health Information Network.

The Maternal and Child Health Information Network (MATCH) was a national demonstration project funded in 1983 by a Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) grant. The network's major objectives have been to correlate collected clinical service data items into usable information, to expand the database through linkage with other systems within the Ohio Department of Health, and to analyze the conjugated data in an effort to expand current knowledge of maternal and child health. The network is interactive between local funded agencies and the state Health Department. Both data entry and data retrieval are distributed at the end-user information centers. Training and support, major components of the project, are provided to each participant and user of the network. One advantage of MATCH is that it allows linkage of clinical service records with vital records as an outcome of prenatal care and/or a history for child health clients. This aspect of the system permits an expanded look at the population being served by funds designated for maternal and child health programs and the ultimate outcome of such services, and permits comparison with those not receiving preventive health services.