PREPARING FOR VANESSA'S LAW: COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE MEDICAL RECORDS AND PHARMACY DEPARTMENTS AT A CANADIAN HOSPITAL CENTER.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In the context of Vanessa's Law, the medical records department and the pharmacy team of a mother-child hospital collaborated to create a system for coding adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This study was conducted to validate the coding of ADRs by the medical records team. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study covered 12 months of coding of hospitalization data by the medical records team (November 1, 2017, to October 31, 2018). The pharmacy team performed twice-monthly analysis to validate the ADR data, based on coded information for drugs and associated clinical manifestations. RESULTS: Over the 12-month study period, a total of 755 ADRs were coded by the medical records department (i.e., 2.1 ADRs per day, corresponding to 7.1% of admissions). For 34 (4.5%) of these ADRs, the pharmacy team made a change to the code originally assigned by the medical records department. Eighty-five (11.5%) of the coded ADRs were deemed serious, as defined by Health Canada, but only 13 (15%) of these serious ADRs were reported to the regulatory authority. The new process allowed clinical manifestation codes to be associated with individual drugs in the pharmacy's Med-Echo-Plus® software, which facilitated interpretation of the data. Following this study, coding practices were reviewed, a coding algorithm was developed, and the codes for 18 drugs were clarified. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the feasibility of establishing a link between the medical records and pharmacy departments to validate the coding of ADRs. At the study hospital, this linkage has identified serious ADRs, for which reporting will soon be required by Health Canada.

Assessment of US Hospital Compliance With Regulations for Patients' Requests for Medical Records.

Importance: Although federal law has long promoted patients' access to their protected health information, this access remains limited. Previous studies have demonstrated some issues in requesting release of medical records, but, to date, there has been no comprehensive review of the challenges that exist in all aspects of the request process. Objective: To evaluate the current state of medical records request processes of US hospitals in terms of compliance with federal and state regulations and ease of patient access. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional study of medical records request processes was conducted between August 1 and December 7, 2017, in 83 top-ranked US hospitals with independent medical records request processes and medical records departments reachable by telephone. Hospitals were ranked as the top 20 hospitals for each of the 16 adult specialties in the 2016-2017 US News & World Report Best Hospitals National Rankings. Exposures: Scripted interview with medical records departments in a single-blind, simulated patient experience. Main Outcomes and Measures: Requestable information (entire medical record, laboratory test results, medical history and results of physical examination, discharge summaries, consultation reports, physician orders, and other), formats of release (pick up in person, mail, fax, email, CD, and online patient portal), costs, and request processing times, identified on medical records release authorization forms and through telephone calls with medical records departments. Results: Among the 83 top-ranked US hospitals representing 29 states, there was discordance between information provided on authorization forms and that obtained from the simulated patient telephone calls in terms of requestable information, formats of release, and costs. On the forms, as few as 9 hospitals (11%) provided the option of selecting 1 of the categories of information and only 44 hospitals (53%) provided patients the option to acquire the entire medical record. On telephone calls, all 83 hospitals stated that they were able to release entire medical records to patients. There were discrepancies in information given in telephone calls vs on the forms between the formats hospitals stated that they could use to release information (69 [83%] vs 40 [48%] for pick up in person, 20 [24%] vs 14 [17%] for fax, 39 [47%] vs 27 [33%] for email, 55 [66%] vs 35 [42%] for CD, and 21 [25%] vs 33 [40%] for online patient portals), additionally demonstrating noncompliance with federal regulations in refusing to provide records in the format requested by the patient. There were 48 hospitals that had costs of release (as much as $541.50 for a 200-page record) above the federal recommendation of $6.50 for electronically maintained records. At least 6 of the hospitals (7%) were noncompliant with state requirements for processing times. Conclusions and Relevance: The study revealed that there are discrepancies in the information provided to patients regarding the medical records release processes and noncompliance with federal and state regulations and recommendations. Policies focused on improving patient access may require stricter enforcement to ensure more transparent and less burdensome medical records request processes for patients.

Análisis de la toma de decisiones compartidas al final de la vida en las historias clínicas / Analysis of medical records of the making of shared end of life decisions

OBJETIVO: Describir la información ofrecida al paciente y/o su familia sobre el pronóstico de la enfermedad, mediante la evaluación de los registros clínicos de los pacientes en situación de enfermedad avanzada fallecidos en la Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, Málaga y describir las diferencias halladas en el proceso de muerte en función de la información proporcionada. MÉTODO: Estudio transversal descriptivo. Se evaluaron de forma retrospectiva 398 historias clínicas de pacientes mayores de 18 años fallecidos en los años 2009 y 2011 en la Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella, por enfermedad oncológica y no oncológica según McNamara. Se examinaron los registros clínicos de los 7 últimos días de vida y se determinó la presencia o ausencia de un conjunto de 20 variables elaboradas en función de las disposiciones que recoge la ley autonómica que regula el proceso de muerte digna en Andalucía. RESULTADOS: El registro de haber informado a la familia se encontró en 311 historias clínicas (78,1%) y la constancia de haber informado al paciente sobre su pronóstico apareció reflejada en 23 historias (5,8%). Cuando la familia estaba informada del pronóstico decidió significativamente sobre las intervenciones sanitarias que se llevaron a cabo; 34,7% vs 12,6% (p = 0,001), se limitó el esfuerzo terapéutico; 57,6% vs 26,4% (p = 0,001) y se retiró la medicación previo al fallecimiento 29,3% vs 14,1% (p = 0,011). El paciente informado de su pronóstico decidió sobre las opciones planteadas; 38,1% vs 3,7% (p = 0,001) tenían manifestadas voluntades anticipadas, 21,7% vs 2,1% (p = 0,001) y se les ofreció información sobre cuidados paliativos, 30,9% vs 7,7% (p = 0,001) y otras medidas para garantizar el bienestar 43,5% vs 17,1% (p = 0,004). CONCLUSIÓN: Los profesionales sanitarios debemos ofrecer mayor información al paciente y emprender una práctica sanitaria que lo implique en la toma de decisiones al igual que se hace con la familia, así como dejar constancia por escrito de todo el proceso tal y como establecen las leyes autonómicas que garantizan una muerte digna

OBJECTIVE: Describe the information provided to the patient and/or family about the prognosis of the disease, by evaluating the clinical records of patients who died of advanced disease in the Costa del Sol Healthcare Agency, Marbella (Malaga, Spain), and describe the differences found in the death process according to the information provided. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, to obtain a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 398 terminally-ill patients aged over 18 years, who died in 2009 or 2011 in the Costa del Sol Healthcare Agency. The diseases were classified as oncological or chronic non-oncological, according to McNamara. Clinical records of the last seven days of life were examined, as well as the presence or absence of a set of 20 variables based on the regulations contained in the law regulating autonomic process of a dignified death in Andalucía. RESULTS: The family was recorded to have been informed in 311 cases (78.1%) and records showed that the patient had been informed about his/her prognosis in 23 cases (5.8%). When the family was informed of the prognosis, this had a significant influence on the health interventions carried out; 34.7% vs 12.6% (P=.001), on limitations to the treatment provided; 57.6% vs 26.4% (P=.001), and on the withdrawal of medication prior to death; 29.3% vs 14.1% (P=.011). When the patient was given this information, he/she took decisions regarding the options available; 38.1% vs 3.7% (P=.001), expressed his/her preferences beforehand; 21.7% vs 2.1% (P=.001), and was given information about palliative care; 30.9% vs 7.7% (P=.001), and other measures to alleviate discomfort; 43.5% vs 17.1% (P=.004). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals should provide more information to patients and families and perform health practices that involve patients in the decision-making process, as established in current legislation

Câncer de boca e orofaringe em Belo Horizonte: estudo de base hospitalar no período de 2005 a 2015 / Cancer of mouth and oropharynx in Belo Horizonte: hospital-based study in the period from 2005 to 2015

O objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar o perfil dos pacientes com câncer de boca e orofaringe referidos ao Ambulatório de Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço de um hospital público em Belo Horizonte, através da revisão de prontuários dos pacientes atendidos no período de 2005 a 2015. As variáveis estudadas foram: idade, sexo, cor de pele, escolaridade, estado civil, endereço de residência, tabagismo, etilismo, localização do tumor, estadiamento clínico, diagnóstico histológico, tipo de tratamento efetuado, data de ingresso, data de realização da cirurgia e data da última consulta. A análise dos dados envolveu estatística descritiva, comparação das variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas para o tipo de tratamento e os dois tipos de câncer por meio do teste de chi-quadrado. Adicionalmente foi realizada a análise espacial da distribuição dos casos de câncer de boca e orofaringe. Foram analisados 289 prontuários, a maioria dos pacientes eram do sexo masculino (227), brancos (117), casados (125), com média de idade de 58,6 anos. Quarenta e seis (15,9%) pacientes eram analfabetos e 147 (50,9%) primeiro grau incompleto; 72,7% dos pacientes moravam na região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. O etilismo e tabagismo estavam presentes em 82,0% e 85,1% dos pacientes respectivamente. As localizações anatômicas mais acometidas foram base da língua, palato mole, assoalho da boca, pilar amigdalino, e borda lateral da língua. O diagnóstico de carcinoma de células escamosas foi reportado em 89,6% dos prontuários. Foi constatado o câncer em grau III e IV (avançado) em 196 (67,8%) pacientes. A média do tempo gasto desde o laudo da biópsia até a consulta no serviço de cabeça e pescoço do HC/UFMG foi 1,5 meses (1,7 DP); e entre a primeira consulta e a data da cirurgia foi 2,9 meses (4,4 DP). Segundo o tipo de câncer, 146 (50,5%) pacientes tinham câncer de boca e 143 (49,5%) câncer de orofaringe, e as comparações revelaram que os pacientes com câncer de orofaringe em comparação com os de boca foram preferivelmente: tabagistas, etilistas, diagnosticados em estádio avançado da doença, com 3 ou mais sítios afetados, receberam tratamento não cirúrgico e residiam a mais de 50km do centro hospitalar. Quanto ao tipo de tratamento efetuado 32,9% somente foram diagnosticados e não continuaram com o tratamento proposto. Quando se compara o tipo de tratamento recebido, as únicas variáveis associadas com a adesão ao tratamento foram o estadiamento clínico inicial (I/II) e ser casado. Na análise espacial foi encontrado que os bairros com maior número de casos estavam localizados principalmente nas regionais Nordeste, Noroeste e Venda Nova. Em relação às variáveis socioeconômicas (baixa renda e moradia em condição semiadequada), foi observado que a maioria dos casos ocorreram em bairros em que estas condições eram piores. Concluindo, o perfil sociodemográfico dos pacientes com câncer de boca não se difere daqueles com câncer de orofaringe atendidos no HC/UFMG

The aim of this study to identify the profiles of patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer referred to the Departament of Head and Neck Surgery in a public hospital in Belo Horizontem, from 2005 to 2015. Medical records from the hospital were reviewed and the variables studied were age, gender, skin color, years of education, marital status, self-reported home address, smoking status, alcohol consumption, histopathologic diagnostic, the primary tumor location, the type of treatment, tumor staging, and dates of first, last consult and surgery...

Causas de mortalidad por enfermedades reumáticas en Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) durante el siglo xix / Causes of mortality due to rheumatic diseases in Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) during the 19th century

Se han recopilado 26.203 defunciones en Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) durante el siglo xix, agrupándolas según la clasificación de Bertillon, para estudiar las causas de muerte por enfermedades reumáticas, mediante el análisis de los Libros de Defunción del Archivo Parroquial y legajos del Archivo Municipal. Se halla un total de 31 fallecidos, siendo el segmento entre 65-74 años el que presenta las mayores cifras. La escasez de registros puede ser debida a la inexactitud de los diagnósticos. El mes con mayor mortalidad es septiembre (AU)

A total of 26,203 of the deaths in Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) during the 19th century were collected and grouped according to the Bertillon's Classification, in order to study the causes of death from rheumatic diseases. An analysis was made using the Death Registers, those located in the Parish Archives, and files of the Municipal Archives. There were a total of 31 deaths due to rheumatic diseases, with the 65-74 years age group being most frequent. The lack of records may be due to the inaccuracy of the diagnoses. September was the month of increased mortality (AU)

Influence of viewing professional ice hockey on youth hockey injuries.

INTRODUCTION: Most televised National Hockey League (NHL) games include violent body checks, illegal hits and fights. We postulated that minor league players imitated these behaviours and that not seeing these games would reduce the rate of injuries among younger hockey players. METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared 7 years of televised NHL matches (2002-2009) with the year of the NHL lock-out (2004/2005). Data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) were used to identify the injuries and to ascertain whether they were due to intentional contact and illegal acts including fights. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in the proportions of all injuries and those involving intentional contact, violations or illegal acts among male minor league hockey players during the year when professional players were locked out and the years before and after the lock-out. CONCLUSION: We concluded that not seeing televised NHL violence may not reduce injuries, although a possible effect may have been obscured because there was a striking increase in attendance at equally violent minor league games during the lock-out.

Validating self-reported strokes in a longitudinal UK cohort study (Whitehall II): Extracting information from hospital medical records versus the Hospital Episode Statistics database.

BACKGROUND: Valuable information on the determinants of non-fatal stroke can be obtained from longitudinal observational cohort studies. Such studies often rely on self-reported stroke events, which are best validated with external medical evidence. The aim of this paper is to compare the information on incident non-fatal stroke events arising from different sources. METHODS: We carried out a validation of self-reported stoke events among participants in the Whitehall II Study, a large UK based cohort study (baseline sample size 10,308 men and women). RESULTS: 106 stroke events were self-reported in three self-administered questionnaires between 2002 and 2009. Eight (7.5%) of these events were discarded as false positives after medical review, 66 were validated by information from the NHS Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database in England, 16 by manual searches of hospital records alone, and 12 by letters from general practitioners alone. HES provided information on an additional (i.e. not self-reported) 47 events coded as stroke during the period 2002 to 2009 in hospitals in England among the original baseline participants. Of these, 43 participants were no longer active in the study and 4 had completed questionnaires but not reported a stroke event. CONCLUSIONS: Validating self-reported strokes in cohort studies with information from the NHS HES database was efficient and provided information on probable non-fatal stroke events among cohort members no longer in active follow-up. Manual extraction from hospital notes can provide supplementary information beyond that available in the HES discharge summary and was used to sub-type some strokes. However, the process was labour intensive. Multiple sources are needed to capture maximum information on stroke events but increasingly with hospitalisation in the acute phase of stroke, HES has an important role. Further development of HES is required to assure validity and coverage.

Impact of data source and time reference of functional status on hospital mortality prediction.

BACKGROUND: The study objective was to compare physical function documented in the medical records with interview data, and also to evaluate hospital mortality predictions using pre-admission and on-admission functional status derived from these two data sources. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 1402 subjects aged 65 years and older to the general medicine department of an acute care hospital was conducted. Patient-reported pre-admission and on-admission functional status for impairment in any of the five activities of daily living (ADLs) items (feeding, dressing, grooming, toileting and bathing), transferring and walking, were compared with those extracted from the medical records. For the purpose of mortality prediction, pre-admission and on-admission impairment in transferring from the two data sources were included in separate multivariable logistic regression models. We used a variable selection method that combines bootstrap resampling with stepwise backward elimination. RESULTS: For all ADL categories, the agreement between the data sources was good for pre-admission functional status (k: 0.53-0.75) but poor for on-admission status (k: 0.18-0.31). On-admission impairment was higher in the medical records than at interview for all basic ADLs. Using interview data as the gold standard, although sensitivity for pre- and on-admission ADLs was high (59-93%), specificity for on-admission status was poor (30-37%). The pre-admission models using interview data predicted mortality better than the model using medical records (c-statistic: 0.83 versus 0.82). Similar results were found for models incorporating on-admission functional status (c-statistic: 0.84 versus 0.81). However, the differences between the four models were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Medical records can be a good source for pre-admission functional status but on-admission functional impairment was over-reported in the medical records. The discriminatory power of the hospital mortality prediction model was significantly improved with the incorporation of functional status information but it was not significantly affected by their time reference or source of data.

Quantitative and qualitative verification of data quality in the childbirth registers of two rural district hospitals in Western Kenya.

OBJECTIVE: to verify the data quality of childbirth registers and explore factors that influence quality at two rural district hospitals in Western Kenya. DESIGN: a retrospective comparative case study for data quality of the 2006 childbirth registers by quantitative and qualitative methods. SETTING: Siaya and Bondo District Hospitals. METHODS: after confirming the physical condition and availability of childbirth registers, the total number of births; number of complete/incomplete data; and number of complete data that were illegible, incorrectly coded, inappropriate and unrecognised were verified quantitatively to evaluate accuracy and completeness. Data categories and instructions were examined qualitatively to assess the relevance, completeness and accuracy of the data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants to capture their views and factors that influence data quality. FINDINGS: the childbirth registers used by the two hospitals were not developed by the Ministry of Health, and their supply to Bondo was interrupted. Of the 30 data categories in the registers, five for Siaya and 23 for Bondo were more than 20% incomplete. Data for number of antenatal consultations and use of human immunodeficiency virus drugs were at least 50% incomplete for both hospitals. The percentage of illegible, incorrectly coded and inappropriate data was relatively low, and only the place of residence had unrecognised data. Data categories in the registers did not correspond well with those of monthly reports, and inappropriate instructions suggested hidden inaccuracy among apparently valid data. Organisational impediments of the health information system in general, perinatal and intrapartum contexts were identified. KEY CONCLUSIONS: data quality of the childbirth registers was unsatisfactory. Influential factors were primarily organisational and technical, which may have had an adverse effect on midwives' record keeping behaviour. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: data quality of the registers can be improved by re-examining technical challenges and organisational impediments at different levels. Midwives' awareness of data quality needs to be increased by sharing the purpose of the childbirth registers. Strong political commitment is also indispensable for putting these findings into action.

Trends in midwife-attended births, 1989 to 2007.

INTRODUCTION: Rates of births attended by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) rose throughout the 1990s and into the early part of this century, when rates leveled at about 7%. METHODS: The data in this report are based on records gathered as part of the US National Standard Certificate of Live Birth from the public use Web site, VitalStats, that allows users to create and download specialized tables. RESULTS: For the first time since such data were available in 1989, births attended by CNMs declined from the previous year in absolute terms, as a proportion of all births, and as a proportion of vaginal births. After an all-time high of 317,168 in 2006, CNM-attended births declined marginally to 316,811 in 2007. With total births reaching a US record of 4,316,233 births, the CNM proportion of total births declined for the fifth straight year to 7.3%, the same proportion as in 1999. Births attended by "other midwives" rose substantially to 23,943 although some of that increase may be the result of misclassification of CNM births in some states into the other midwife category. DISCUSSION: The proportion of CNM births has remained steady at between 7.3% and 7.6% since 1999. However, when the number of births attended by CNMs is combined with the number attended by other midwives, their number reached an all-time high in 2007.

Administrative data have high variation in validity for recording heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have relied on administrative data to identify patients with heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVE: To systematically review studies that assessed the validity of administrative data for recording HF. METHODS: English peer-reviewed articles (1990 to 2008) validating International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-8, -9 and -10 codes from administrative data were included. An expert panel determined which ICD codes should be included to define HF. Frequencies of ICD codes for HF were calculated using up to the 16 diagnostic coding fields available in the Canadian hospital discharge abstract during fiscal years 2000/2001 and 2005/2006. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 2008, more than 70 different ICD codes for defining HF were used in 25 published studies. Twenty-one studies validated hospital discharge abstract data; three studies validated physician claims and two studies validated ambulatory care data. Eighteen studies reported sensitivity (range 29% to 89%). Specificity and negative predictive value were greater than 70% across 17 studies. Nineteen studies reported positive predictive values (range 12% to 100%). Ten studies reported kappa values (range 0.39 to 0.84). For Canadian hospital discharge data, ICD-9 and -10 codes 428 and I50 identified HF in 5.50% and 4.80% of discharge records, respectively. Additional HF-related ICD-9 and -10 codes did not impact HF prevalence. CONCLUSION: The ICD-9 and -10 codes 428 and I50 were the most commonly used to define HF in hospital discharge data. Validity of administrative data in recording HF varied across the studies and data sources that were assessed.

How accurate is ICD coding for epilepsy?

PURPOSE: Assess the validity of ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 epilepsy coding from an emergency visit (ER) and a hospital discharge abstract database (DAD). METHODS: Two separate sources of patient records were reviewed and validated. (1) Charts of patients admitted to our seizure monitoring unit over 2 years (n = 127, ICD-10 coded records) were reviewed. Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were calculated. (2) Random sample of charts for patients seen in the ER or admitted to hospital under any services, and whose charts were coded with epilepsy or an epilepsy-like condition, were reviewed. Two time-periods were selected to allow validation of both ICD-9-CM (n = 486) and ICD-10 coded (n = 454) records. Only PPV and NPV were calculated for these records. All charts were reviewed by two physicians to confirm the presence/absence of epilepsy and compare to administrative coding. RESULTS: Sample 1: Sn, Sp, PPV, and NPV of ICD-10 epilepsy coding from the seizure monitoring unit (SMU) chart review were 99%, 70%, 85%, and 97% respectively. Sample 2: The PPV and NPV for ICD-9-CM coding from the ER database were, respectively, 99% and 97% and from the DAD were 98% and 99%. The PPV and NPV for ICD-10 coding from the ER database were, respectively, 100% and 90% and from the DAD were 98% and 99%. The epilepsy subtypes grand mal status and partial epilepsy with complex partial seizures both had PPVs >75% (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 data). DISCUSSION: Administrative emergency and hospital discharge data have high epilepsy coding validity overall in our health region.

Researching labour and birth events using health information records: methodological challenges.

OBJECTIVES: as little has been published about the particular challenges of researching labour and birth events using health information records (HIRs), this study aimed to describe the methodological and quality assurance (QA) issues encountered in reviewing such records for a study of health and recovery after operative birth, and to report on how these issues were tackled. DESIGN AND SETTING: retrospective review of HIRs, recording details of the labour and birth events of 394 women for 630 confinements at 32 hospitals, chiefly situated in the State of Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: three hundred and ninety-four women, a subset of a cohort of 534 women participating in the Health and Recovery after Operative Birth Project, who gave consent to review of their HIRs. METHODS: a data abstraction form (DAF) and comprehensive accompanying study manual were designed, with the form's layout based on the HIR used by the hospital where the majority of confinements occurred. Amendments were made following piloting of the DAF. Three data abstractors were carefully trained for the task of reviewing records, and issues were dealt with as they arose at fortnightly meetings. Double data abstraction (cross-coding) exercises were conducted three times during the project and reported on for QA purposes. FINDINGS: a number of limitations were found with labour and birth event data recorded in the HIRs. For example, maternal position in active second stage labour could not be established for 65% of births, documentation of onset of second stage was not accompanied by definitive evidence for second stage onset in 23.9% of cases, and maternal position at birth was missing in 26.4% of cases. Other relevant variables also proved problematic. For example, infant head circumference was not documented for 24.4% of births, and 52.9% of records did not document maternal height. Time and effort put into data abstractor training, and careful design and piloting of the DAF enabled both the form and data abstraction methods to be adapted following recognition of some of the limitations identified with the records, and also allowed subsequent analytic possibilities to be maximised. Cross-coding exercises also increased data abstractor reliability. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the likelihood of obtaining reliable data from HIRs is increased by a keen awareness of the challenges presented by the records themselves, careful training of staff, careful DAF design which allows for documentation of problems, conducting QA checks such as cross-coding exercises, and cautious reporting of findings with appropriate recognition of inherent limitations of the method.

Assessing validity of ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 administrative data in recording clinical conditions in a unique dually coded database.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess the validity of the International Classification of Disease, 10th Version (ICD-10) administrative hospital discharge data and to determine whether there were improvements in the validity of coding for clinical conditions compared with ICD-9 Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) data. METHODS: We reviewed 4,008 randomly selected charts for patients admitted from January 1 to June 30, 2003 at four teaching hospitals in Alberta, Canada to determine the presence or absence of 32 clinical conditions and to assess the agreement between ICD-10 data and chart data. We then re-coded the same charts using ICD-9-CM and determined the agreement between the ICD-9-CM data and chart data for recording those same conditions. The accuracy of ICD-10 data relative to chart data was compared with the accuracy of ICD-9-CM data relative to chart data. RESULTS: Sensitivity values ranged from 9.3 to 83.1 percent for ICD-9-CM and from 12.7 to 80.8 percent for ICD-10 data. Positive predictive values ranged from 23.1 to 100 percent for ICD-9-CM and from 32.0 to 100 percent for ICD-10 data. Specificity and negative predictive values were consistently high for both ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 databases. Of the 32 conditions assessed, ICD-10 data had significantly higher sensitivity for one condition and lower sensitivity for seven conditions relative to ICD-9-CM data. The two databases had similar sensitivity values for the remaining 24 conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The validity of ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 administrative data in recording clinical conditions was generally similar though validity differed between coding versions for some conditions. The implementation of ICD-10 coding has not significantly improved the quality of administrative data relative to ICD-9-CM. Future assessments like this one are needed because the validity of ICD-10 data may get better as coders gain experience with the new coding system.

[Epidemiological analysis of cases with confirmed presence of amphetamine and THC in the material of Department of Analytical Toxicology and Drug Monitoring UJ CM]. / Analiza epidemiologiczna przypadków z potwierdzona obecnoscia amfetaminy i THC w materiale Zakladu Toksykologii Analitycznej i Terapii Monitorowanej UJ CM.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this paper is epidemiological analysis of poisonings with amphetamine and tetrahydrocanabinols (THC), particularly in three aspects: (1) co-occurrence of other substances (mixed poisonings); (2) factors shaping dynamics in number of poisonings and 3) average age of patients. The data this paper is based on come from the data set "Duch" which is run by the Department of Analytical Toxicology and Drug Monitoring UJ CM in Kraków. The data were collected between 1 Dec. 2001 and 28 Feb. 2005 (1186 days). Amphetamine and THC were determined in patient's urine in semi-quantitative manner by means of EMIT and FPIA methods. RESULTS: Amphetamine: In the studied period amphetamine was confirmed in 493 patients. Other substances were confirmed in 57.6% of patients: opiates--28.6% THC--14.2%, opiates and THC--5.9%. Since the beginning of the studied period till mid Aug 2003 daily number of cases showed increasing trend (0.062% per day), then the tendency was reversed (-0.074% per day). We observed more males than females (3.24:1). Most cases were poisoned on Mondays, less during the week and least on weekends. At the beginning of the studied period males were older than females (27 vs. 20 years). As the time progressed average age of males was stable but in women average age was increasing at the rate 0.004 year per day. As a consequence of this trend in winter 2004/2005 average age of both sexes was equal. THC: We observed 410 cases with confirmed presence of THC in urine. Other substances were confirmed in 40.2% of patients: amphetamine 17.1% amphetamine and opiates 7.1, opiates 7.1%. There were 17 various substances accompanying THC. In our material the sex ratio was biased toward males (7.8 to 1). Weekly dynamics of poisonings with THC have the same pattern as the one observed in amphetamine. At the beginning of the studied period males were older than females (28 vs. 20 years). Changes in averages followed the same pattern as in amphetamine.

Effect of drug-test interactions on length of hospital stay.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of drug-laboratory test interactions on the length of stay of hospitalised patients. METHODS: Observational study of 404 discharges from the Internal Medicine Services of a tertiary hospital. Databases with information on general data, medication and tests performed were linked with the potential interactions described in the literature. This revealed the potential interactions between drugs and laboratory tests (PIDL) in each patient. Several linear regression models, adjusted for confounders, were performed to test the effect of both the number of PIDL and their influence on tests results (false positive/negative) on the length of stay. RESULTS: A total of 19 741 PIDL were detected; 5954 could give rise to potential false positive (PFP) results and 8442 to potential false negative (PFN) ones. Each PFP was related to an increase of 0.051 days in stay duration (CI95% 0.001-0.102) and each PFN to 0.045 days (CI95% 0.008-0.081). Globally, 303 and 380 days of hospitalisation could be attributed to false positives and false negatives, which could account for 9.8% of the total stay of these patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the interactions between drugs and laboratory tests produce a statistically and clinically significant increase in the duration of hospital stay.

Referencia al artículo 'Situación epidemiológica del cáncer de próstata en España' / Referred to the article "Epidemiological situation of prostate cancer in Spain

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Do birth certificate data accurately reflect the number of CNM-attended births? An exploratory study.

The number of midwife-attended births is increasing as reported on birth certificates in the United States. However, there is some evidence that births attended by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) may not be accurately recorded. In this exploratory study, data on birth attendants for those clients giving birth during the study period were compared by using four sources: the client's hospital chart, the CNM birth log, hospital birth certificate records, and state vital statistics records. Researchers sought to determine the accuracy of birth attendant data as reflected in these four sources and whether other providers were listed as the birth attendant for actual CNM-attended births. During the study period, the CNM birth log showed that CNMs attended 97 vaginal births, whereas the client hospital charts for these same births noted 92 births as attended by CNMs (the other five were operative vaginal births). Hospital birth certificate and state vital statistics data during the study time period credited 88 and 82 of the client's births, respectively, to the CNMs. Exploration of the inaccurately reported birth attendant data, implications for practice, and recommendations for accurately recording birth certificate data are discussed.

The HIPAA headache. It just won't go away. An exclusive survey of privacy officers says full compliance with the 1-year-old regulations is still elusive.

After a year of HIPAA, there's still some adjusting to do. Some don't grasp the value of accounting to patients about disclosures, but HHS' Richard Campanelli, left, says it offers patients reassurance that their data was safeguarded. Baylor's Donna Bowers, on the cover, says caregivers are now understanding that "Maybe (patients) do care that I'm asking all these personal questions in front of all these people."

Turning production data into management tools.

Staring down another backlog in your HIM department? Use routine data collection activities to strengthen your case for additional staff, increased budget dollars, or an incentive program.