Introductory Letter for the Supplemental Interview about Stillbirth (English)

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-0010

Exp. Date: XX/XX/XXXX

BD-STEPS– Protocol #2087

Att 37 Introductory Letter SBsupp (English), 8/23/2017

<<date>> 

«motherfirstname» «motherlastname»

«Address1»

«Address2»

«City», «State» «Zip»

Dear Ms. «motherlastname»:

Previously, you participated in the Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD‐STEPS) by taking part in a telephone interview with us. We thank you for your generous help. In the enclosed thank you letter, we mention that you will be invited to take part in other components of BD-STEPS. We would now like to invite you to participate in an additional part of the BD‐STEPS study. In a follow-up interview, we want to learn more about why some pregnancies end in a stillbirth and some do not. This study is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As part of the follow-up, we plan to speak with women who had a pregnancy affected by a birth defect as well as women whose pregnancies were not affected by birth defects. Some of these pregnancies ended in a stillbirth. State laws give the <State Birth Defects Monitoring Program> permission to review medical records to study causes of birth defects. This is how we identified some women for the study. Women whose pregnancies were not affected by birth defects were selected from women who were pregnant in the same year.

Our interviewers will call you soon, and ask you to do another telephone interview that takes about 20-30 minutes. The questions will focus on the later part of your pregnancy unlike the first interview you did. The interview can be done in one call or in several shorter calls at a time that is convenient for you. We are available for interviews every day of the week, including weekends and evenings. The interview asks about your health, medication use, and any illnesses during your pregnancy that occurred in <<YEAR>>. We will keep any identifying information that you provide during your interview confidential.

Our interviewers will call you soon. Before then, if you have any questions, please feel free to call the interviewers at our toll free number, 1-888-743-7324, or email them at [email protected]. You may also call <local contact> at < local contact information>. If you do not want to participate, please let us know.

<<Note: We are not able to include the $10 gift card that was sent with the previous introductory packet(s). If you complete the interview, we will send you an additional $10 gift card to thank you for your time.>>

OR

<<We’ve enclosed a $10 gift card as a token of appreciation for your time and interest. This is yours to keep whether or not you do the interview. After you complete the interview, we will send you an additional $10 gift card to thank you for your time.>>

Hundreds of women are taking part in this important research. This follow-up study will help us better understand the causes of stillbirths and birth defects. We hope that you will be a part of this effort. Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

< PI name and local contact information >

ENCLOSURE