Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2026 Jan 28.
Published in final edited form as: Birth Defects Res. 2023 Jan 14;115(4):498–509. doi: 10.1002/bdr2.2151

Table 3.

Validity of self-report using medical records as reference standard, Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD-STEPS), 2018 (n=184)

Sensitivity Specificity PPVa NPVb
% 95% CI % 95% CI % 95% CI % 95% CI
Medication Use Groupsc
 Used episodically 50.9 (38, 64) 86.6 (81, 93) 63.0 (49, 77) 79.7 (73, 86)
 Used chronically 88.9 (77, 100) 93.6 (90, 97) 70.6 (55, 86) 98.0 (96, 100)
Therapeutic Class
 Antidiabetics 62.5 (29, 96) 98.3 (96, 100) 62.5 (29, 96) 98.3 (96, 100)
 Antiemetics 50.0 (29, 71) 98.8 (97, 100) 84.6 (65, 100) 93.6 (90, 97)
 Antiepileptics 66.7 (13, 100) 99.5 (98, 100) 66.7 (13, 100) 99.5 (98, 100)
 Antihypertensives 100.0 -- 100.0 -- 100.0 -- 100.0 --
 Anti-infectives 36.1 (20, 52) 92.6 (88, 97) 54.2 (34, 74) 85.6 (80, 91)
 Asthma medications 28.6 (0, 62) 97.7 (96, 100) 33.3 (0, 71) 97.2 (95, 100)
 Fertility-related medications 50.0 (27, 73) 95.2 (92, 98) 52.9 (29, 77) 94.6 (92, 98)
 Migraine medications 66.7 (13, 100) 97.8 (96, 100) 33.3 (0, 72) 99.4 (98, 100)
 Opioid analgesics 25.0 (0, 67) 97.8 (96, 100) 20.0 (0, 55) 98.3 (96, 100)
 Psychotherapeutics 100.0 -- 98.3 (96, 100) 75.0 (51, 100) 100.0 --
 Sleep aid medications 100.0 -- 100.0 -- 100.0 -- 100.0 --
 Thyroid medications 88.9 (68, 100 99.4 (98, 100) 88.9 (68, 100) 99.4 (98, 100)

CI=confidence interval; PPV=positive predictive value; NPV=negative predictive value

a

Equivalent to the sensitivity of medical records using self-report as the reference standard.

b

Equivalent to the specificity of medical records using self-report as the reference standard.

c

Episodic use includes antiemetics, anti-infectives, migraine medications, opioid analgesics, sleep aid medications and other medications not in a therapeutic group but are used for a short duration (for example, prednisone for an allergic reaction). Chronic use includes antidiabetics, antiepileptics, antihypertensives, psychotherapeutics, thyroid medications, and other medications not in a therapeutic group that are used chronically (for example, simvastatin).