This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lunetta, P. Articles by Lounamaa, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lunetta, P. Articles by Lounamaa, A. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Underreporting of external cause codes in the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register

National Public Health Institute, Injury Prevention Unit, Helsinki, Finland, philippe.lunetta{at}helsinki.fi, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Antti Impinen

National Public Health Institute, Injury Prevention Unit, Helsinki, Finland

Anne Lounamaa

National Public Health Institute, Injury Prevention Unit, Helsinki, Finland

Background: Hospital discharge data (HDD) represent one of the most valuable information sources for injury prevention and control. Objectives: To investigate external code of injury (E-code) underreporting in the Finnish National Hospital Discharge Register from 1 January 1987 to 31 December 2004. Material and methods: HDD for discharges with an injury as the main diagnosis were extracted from the FNHDR. The selection was made using codes for nature of injury (1987—1995, ICD-9; 1996—2004, ICD-10). The proportion of injury discharges with a missing E-code was examined by sex, age, hospital districts, type of hospital, duration of hospitalization, and nature of injury. Results: In 432,549 (23.1%) of the recorded 1,868,519 discharges, an E-code was missing. The proportion of the discharges with a missing E-code varied among the above variables. During the period 1987—2004, the overall E-code underreporting decreased from 18.0% to 12.8%. The introduction of the ICD-10 in 1996 was followed by a dramatic increase (up to 57.5% of all discharges) in E-code underreporting. Conclusions: More attention ought to be dedicated to teaching and periodic training on the use of E-codes. Educational activities should specifically target the medical doctors, who, in Finland, are responsible for assigning the E-codes.

Key Words: E-code • hospital discharge register • ICD-9 • ICD-10 • injury morbidity • underreporting

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 36, No. 8, 870-874 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1403494808089565


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?