title: Operative intervention rates for acute diverticulitis: a multicentre state-wide study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute colonic diverticulitis is placing an increasing strain on our health care resources. Measurement of the problem is difficult at a regional level, yet essential to improve and optimize treatment of this condition. Therefore, we aimed to use Australian state-level administrative data to determine the current practice and outcomes in major metropolitan hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Coding algorithms designed to increase the yield and accuracy of administrative data were used to find emergency admissions from the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset. Eight tertiary referral centres with specialist colorectal services from 2009 to 2013 were studied. Key metrics including the operative intervention rate were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 2829 emergency admissions for acute diverticulitis across 4 years in eight hospitals, with 724 being complicated. The emergency operative intervention rate was 10.4%, with a third of admissions for complicated diverticulitis having an operation. Hartmann's procedure was the most commonly performed emergency operation, accounting for 72% of resections. Patient characteristics were consistent across the hospitals, including a median length of stay of 3 and 6 days for uncomplicated and complicated diverticulitis, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hartmann's procedure is currently the most common emergency operation for acute complicated diverticulitis in Victorian metropolitan hospitals. Our practice and outcomes can be measured meaningfully using administrative data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of General Surgical Specialties, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael K-Y
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Melbourne EpiCentre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tomlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of General Surgical Specialties, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Ian P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of General Surgical Specialties, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Anita R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Skandarajah
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000465:Algorithms; D001315:Australia; D059019:Clinical Coding / Q000379:methods; D003125:Colostomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004239:Diverticulitis, Colonic / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care
keywords: administrative; algorithm; coding; diverticulitis; outcome