A systematic review of discharge coding accuracy

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to review systematically the literature measuring the accuracy of routine UK hospital statistics that classify patients on discharge. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out of studies comparing routine discharge statistics about an episode of hospital care with the original medical record. Dual quality assessment and extraction was completed for included studies. Qualitative and descriptive analyses were undertaken. Additional comparisons of factors that could potentially introduce systematic variation in coding accuracy were also undertaken. RESULTS: Thirty studies were identified, of which 21 were included in the review. Twelve of these were conducted in England and Wales, and nine in Scotland. The majority assessed the accuracy of a single diagnosis, or selection of diagnoses…