The pediatric quality measures provide information about potentially preventable complications and adverse events for children treated in hospitals. IDPH uses discharge data provided by hospitals and pediatric inpatient quality indicators provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Read about the Report Card Methodology .

Below are measures related to potential in-hospital childbirth complications and adverse events, such as birth trauma. In addition utilization indicators related to child birth procedures are provided. These measures examine procedures whose use varies significantly across hospitals and for which questions have been raised about overuse, underuse, or misuse. Discharge data from hospitals is used to analyze these indicators provided from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Read about the Report Card methodology. For more information on trends in cesarean section delivery, read Trends in Cesarean deliveries in Illinois Hospitals .

Both babies and mothers gain important benefits from breastfeeding. Breast milk contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections, and breastfed infants are at lower risk of certain chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity and asthma. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may also have lower risk of some health problems, including certain breast and ovarian cancers, obesity and diabetes. The breast feeding measures below show the percentage of newborn infants that are exclusively breast fed, exclusively fed formula, or received any breast feeding (either exclusive or in combination with formula) upon release from the hospital.

The information below is obtained from hospitals and submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health. See Report Card Methodology .

Consumer Tip: You can find information about breast feeding consultant staffing under the Staffing/Beds tab. These consultants are specially trained to provide help with breast feeding to mothers. For more information, read the Surgeon General’s " Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding "