Data quality in computerized patient records. Analysis of a haematology biopsy report database.

This paper addresses the problem of data quality in electronic patient records using a computerized haematology biopsy report system as an example. Physicians extracted five parameters from a traditional free text cytology report and encoded these parameters thus producing a computer processable report. The parameters were 1) the organ biopsied, 2) quality of specimen, 3) cytological diagnosis including 4) a modifier code for the main diagnosis code (i.e. status post chemotherapy, Y-code) and 5) an additional key describing the degree of remission obtained after chemotherapy of acute leukemias. From the various steps involved in generating the electronic record we selected two critical ones: encoding of free text terms by physician staff; entering of the coded terms into a computer by lab staff. We analyzed the rates of correct, incorrect and missing codes for each of the five parameters. Our findings indicate that in this model of an electronic patient record: 1) there is significant inaccuracy of physicians during the process of encoding the free text report with error rates between 3.2 and 28% and omission rates up to 64%. 2) lab staff entering these coded data into the computer introduce additional errors (0-7.8%) but rarely miss correctly encoded data (0-0.9%). 3) introducing a revised coding system data quality improved significantly (p < or = 0.001) with a fivefold increase of correct and a 75% reduction of missing codes. 4) the clinical relevance of the diagnoses encoded as perceived by clinicians is a significant factor affecting error and omission rates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)