TY - JOUR
T1 - Accuracy of cause-of-death coding in Taiwan
T2 - Types of miscoding and effects on mortality statistics
AU - Lu, Tsung Hsueh
AU - Lee, Meng Chih
AU - Chou, Ming Chih
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - Background. The objectives of this study were to assess the accuracy of cause-of-death coding, determine the extent to which coders follow the selection rules of coding set out in the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9), and the effects of miscoding on mortality statistics in Taiwan. Method. A systematic sample of 5621 death certificates was reviewed. The underlying cause of death (UCD) selected by the reviewer for each death certificate was compared with that selected by the original coder. The UCD was selected according to ACME (Automated Classification of Medical Entities) Decision Tables. Results. The overall agreement rates between the reviewer and coders according to the three-digit and two-digit categories of ICD-9 were 80.9% and 83.9%, respectively. Good agreement was found for malignant neoplasms (kappa = 0.94) and injuries and poisoning (kappa = 0.97), but there was poor agreement for nephrotic diseases (kappa = 0.74), hypertension-related diseases (kappa = 0.74), and cerebral infarction (kappa = 0.77). Reasons for disagreements included disagreement in nomenclature (42.8%), inappropriate judgement of causal relationships (41.5%), and incorrect interpretation of Selection Rule 3 and Modification Rules (15.7%). Conclusion. This study showed various levels of agreement for different diseases between the reviewer and the original coders in selection of the UCD. Owing to the 'compensatory effect of errors', the national mortality statistics were not affected significantly. The national administration should undertake routine internal studies to control the quality of UCD coding practices.
AB - Background. The objectives of this study were to assess the accuracy of cause-of-death coding, determine the extent to which coders follow the selection rules of coding set out in the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9), and the effects of miscoding on mortality statistics in Taiwan. Method. A systematic sample of 5621 death certificates was reviewed. The underlying cause of death (UCD) selected by the reviewer for each death certificate was compared with that selected by the original coder. The UCD was selected according to ACME (Automated Classification of Medical Entities) Decision Tables. Results. The overall agreement rates between the reviewer and coders according to the three-digit and two-digit categories of ICD-9 were 80.9% and 83.9%, respectively. Good agreement was found for malignant neoplasms (kappa = 0.94) and injuries and poisoning (kappa = 0.97), but there was poor agreement for nephrotic diseases (kappa = 0.74), hypertension-related diseases (kappa = 0.74), and cerebral infarction (kappa = 0.77). Reasons for disagreements included disagreement in nomenclature (42.8%), inappropriate judgement of causal relationships (41.5%), and incorrect interpretation of Selection Rule 3 and Modification Rules (15.7%). Conclusion. This study showed various levels of agreement for different diseases between the reviewer and the original coders in selection of the UCD. Owing to the 'compensatory effect of errors', the national mortality statistics were not affected significantly. The national administration should undertake routine internal studies to control the quality of UCD coding practices.
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U2 - 10.1093/ije/29.2.336
DO - 10.1093/ije/29.2.336
M3 - Article
C2 - 10817134
AN - SCOPUS:0034036437
VL - 29
SP - 336
EP - 343
JO - International Journal of Epidemiology
JF - International Journal of Epidemiology
SN - 0300-5771
IS - 2
ER -