Electronic reporting of pelvic inflammatory disease from an emergency department.
OBJECTIVE
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a clinically diagnosed condition that is preventable and underreported. We developed an electronic emergency department (ED) PID reporting system by using an automatic and secure system to send computerized clinician PID diagnoses to the state health department.


OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to assess if electronic transmission of ED PID data could enhance the completeness and timeliness of PID surveillance.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective chart review.


METHODS
To validate electronic ED diagnoses, we reviewed charts of 157 women with 7 clinicians' diagnoses compatible with PID. We determined which women met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) PID surveillance case definition and determined the positive predictive values of electronic ED diagnoses of PID. We compared completeness of electronic PID reporting with state sexually transmitted disease surveillance.


RESULTS
Three diagnoses were appropriate for electronic PID surveillance. Information on women with these diagnoses is sent daily to the health department with no extra effort needed from ED clinicians. Less than 10% of women who met the CDC PID case definition were reported within 6 months through conventional methods.


CONCLUSIONS
Electronic ED surveillance will improve completeness and timeliness of PID reporting.
Adams
Annette L
AL
Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Southwick
Karen L
KL
Jui
Jonathan
J
Loveless
Mark O
MO
Kohn
Melvin A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000592:standards*; D009922:Oregon / Q000453:epidemiology; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies