title: Reliability and validity of a system for coding asthma outcomes from medical records.
abstract: To evaluate the reliability and validity of a standardized asthma outcome coding system, we obtained medical records for 182 asthmatic children. Records were coded by trained staff using explicit and detailed criteria. Outcome variables coded included number of corticosteroid bursts, asthma-related physician contacts, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and number of asthma episodes. Interrater reliability was excellent. Patterns of associations between the coded variables and other independently obtained outcome measures supported concurrent and construct validity. Given the intense scrutiny of health outcomes in the current managed-care marketplace, use of this system may foster further clinical research examining asthma outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado 80206, USA. wamboldtf@njc.org
authors.forename: Frederick S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Wamboldt
authors.forename: Marcella R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Leigh A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hume
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gavin
authors.forename: Marianne Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Wamboldt
authors.forename: Mary D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Klinnert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005568:Forms and Records Control / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008499:Medical Records / Q000145:classification / Q000592:standards*; D015588:Observer Variation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000145:classification* / Q000379:methods; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology