Descriptive exploration of overdose codes in hospital and emergency department discharge data to inform development of drug overdose morbidity surveillance indicator definitions in ICD-10-CM.

BACKGROUND: In October 2015, discharge data coding in the USA shifted to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), necessitating new indicator definitions for drug overdose morbidity. Amid the drug overdose crisis, characterising discharge records that have ICD-10-CM drug overdose codes can inform the development of standardised drug overdose morbidity indicator definitions for epidemiological surveillance. METHODS: Eight states submitted aggregated data involving hospital and emergency department (ED) discharge records with ICD-10-CM codes starting with T36-T50, for visits occurring from October 2015 to December 2016. Frequencies were calculated for (1) the position within the diagnosis billing fields where the drug overdose code occurred; (2) primary diagnosis code grouped by ICD-10-CM chapter; (3) encounter types; and (4) intents, underdosing and adverse effects. RESULTS: Among all records with a drug overdose code, the primary diagnosis field captured 70.6% of hospitalisations (median=69.5%, range=66.2%-76.8%) and 79.9% of ED visits (median=80.7%; range=69.8%-88.0%) on average across participating states. The most frequent primary diagnosis chapters included injury and mental disorder chapters. Among visits with codes for drug overdose initial encounters, subsequent encounters and sequelae, on average 94.6% of hospitalisation records (median=98.3%; range=68.8%-98.8%) and 95.5% of ED records (median=99.5%; range=79.2%-99.8%), represented initial encounters. Among records with drug overdose of any intent, adverse effect and underdosing codes, adverse effects comprised an average of 74.9% of hospitalisation records (median=76.3%; range=57.6%-81.1%) and 50.8% of ED records (median=48.9%; range=42.3%-66.8%), while unintentional intent comprised an average of 11.1% of hospitalisation records (median=11.0%; range=8.3%-14.5%) and 28.2% of ED records (median=25.6%; range=20.8%-40.7%). CONCLUSION: Results highlight considerations for adapting and standardising drug overdose indicator definitions in ICD-10-CM.

A retrospective evaluation of the intrauterine device in a patient population in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

BACKGROUND: The intrauterine device (IUD) is a long-acting reversible contraceptive method that is safe for a wide range of women, including adolescents and nulliparous women. Globally, it is often underutilised due to misperceptions among patients. Examination of characteristics associated with IUD discontinuation including adverse effects and IUD expulsion can inform provider practices to improve contraception success and patient satisfaction with this method. We studied IUD performance at a public family planning clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina, serving a predominantly immigrant, low-income population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective evaluation of 1047 IUD insertions between 2002 and 2007 with 5 years of follow-up data. We performed bivariate and survival analysis to examine characteristics associated with IUD discontinuation: adverse outcomes including pain, bleeding, and IUD expulsion, and time to removal. FINDINGS: Of 1047 patients, only 188 (18%) had their IUD removed within 5 years. The main causes of IUD discontinuation were involuntary (38%) reasons such as an IUD expulsion and personal choice (34%) such as desiring pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest overall good long-term performance with IUD insertion, with minimal complaints or adverse outcomes. These findings may help to support providers serving similar populations in promoting this method.