W Walop1, M Semenchuk. 1. Population and Public Health Branch, Bureau of Infectious Diseases, Ottawa, Canada. wikke_walop@hc-sc.gc.ca
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Canadian Study of Health and Aging collected verbatim data on the use of medications (drugs) and health products. OBJECTIVE: To describe how the names of drugs and health products are coded and how they can be summarized. METHODS: The data were entered manually into a database. After comparing three coding systems, the drugs and health products were coded using a modification of the American Hospital Formulary Code as temporary codes and the Anatomical, Therapeutic, Chemical Classification as the final codes. CONCLUSION: Coding and input of verbatim drug data are time-consuming, particularly when done manually. Once the coding scheme is in place, the advances in technological aspects of data management greatly improve the process.
BACKGROUND: The Canadian Study of Health and Aging collected verbatim data on the use of medications (drugs) and health products. OBJECTIVE: To describe how the names of drugs and health products are coded and how they can be summarized. METHODS: The data were entered manually into a database. After comparing three coding systems, the drugs and health products were coded using a modification of the American Hospital Formulary Code as temporary codes and the Anatomical, Therapeutic, Chemical Classification as the final codes. CONCLUSION: Coding and input of verbatim drug data are time-consuming, particularly when done manually. Once the coding scheme is in place, the advances in technological aspects of data management greatly improve the process.