title: Improving National Trauma Data Bank® coding data reliability for traumatic injury using a prospective systems approach.
abstract: Trauma centers manage an active Trauma Registry from which research, quality improvement, and epidemiologic information are extracted to ensure optimal care of the trauma patient. We evaluated coding procedures using the Relational Trauma Scoring System™to determine the relative accuracy of the Relational Trauma Scoring System for coding diagnoses in comparison to the standard retrospective chart-based format. Charts from 150 patients admitted to a level I trauma service were abstracted using standard methods. These charts were then randomized and abstracted by trauma nurse clinicians with coding software aide. For charts scored pre-training, percent correct for the trauma nurse clinicians ranged from 52 to 64 percent, while the registrars scored 51 percent correct. After training, percentage correct for the trauma nurse clinicians increased to a range of 80-86 percent. Our research has demonstrated implementable changes that can significantly increase the accuracy of data from trauma centers.
authors.affiliation: Baylor University Medical Center, USA MichaelJ.Ewing@baylorhealth.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ewing
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M University Health Science Center, USA; Baylor University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Geoffrey A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Funk
authors.affiliation: Baylor University Medical Center, USA.|Texas A&M University Health Science Center, USA; Baylor University Medical Center, USA.|Baylor University Medical Center, USA.|Baylor Research Institute, USA.|Baylor Scott and White Healthcare, USA.|Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, USA.|Baylor University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.affiliation: Baylor University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Nakia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rapier
authors.affiliation: Baylor Research Institute, USA.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Baylor Scott and White Healthcare, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Cyndi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mastropieri
authors.affiliation: Baylor University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Foreman
mesh_terms: D000068598:Data Accuracy; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000639:trends; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013597:Systems Analysis; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D014947:Wounds and Injuries
keywords: databases and data mining; decision-support systems; electronic health records; health-care service innovation and IT; information and knowledge management; quality control