Impact of developing a multidisciplinary coded dataset standard on administrative data accuracy for septoplasty, septorhinoplasty and nasal trauma surgery.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to develop a multidisciplinary coded dataset standard for nasal surgery and to assess its impact on data accuracy.


METHODS
An audit of 528 patients undergoing septal and/or inferior turbinate surgery, rhinoplasty and/or septorhinoplasty, and nasal fracture surgery was undertaken.


RESULTS
A total of 200 septoplasties, 109 septorhinoplasties, 57 complex septorhinoplasties and 116 nasal fractures were analysed. There were 76 (14.4 per cent) changes to the primary diagnosis. Septorhinoplasties were the most commonly amended procedures. The overall audit-related income change for nasal surgery was £8.78 per patient. Use of a multidisciplinary coded dataset standard revealed that nasal diagnoses were under-coded; a significant proportion of patients received more precise diagnoses following the audit. There was also significant under-coding of both morbidities and revision surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The multidisciplinary coded dataset standard approach can improve the accuracy of both data capture and information flow, and, thus, ultimately create a more reliable dataset for use outcomes and health planning.
Department of ENT Surgery,Auckland City Hospital,Auckland,New Zealand.
S A R
SA
Nouraei
Clinical Coding,Charing Cross Hospital,London,UK.
A
A
Hudovsky
Department of ENT Surgery,Barts Health NHS Trust,London,UK.
J S
JS
Virk
Department of ENT Surgery,Auckland City Hospital,Auckland,New Zealand.
H A
HA
Saleh
D000068598:Data Accuracy; D066264:Datasets as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D000070516:Intersectoral Collaboration; D008485:Medical Audit / Q000379:methods*; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000601:surgery; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000601:surgery; D009300:Nasal Septum / Q000601:surgery; D059747:Nasal Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards*; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000592:standards*; D014420:Turbinates / Q000601:surgery; D006113:United Kingdom
Clinical Coding; Nasal Obstruction; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Rhinoplasty