Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
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Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jul 2012
Analyses of hospital administrative data that use diagnosis codes overestimate the cases of acute pancreatitis.
Although widely used, little information exists on the validity of using hospital administrative data to code acute pancreatitis (AP). We sought to determine if discharge diagnosis codes accurately identify patients whose clinical course met the standard for AP diagnosis. ⋯ Approximately 1 of 5 patients diagnosed with AP upon discharge from the hospital do not meet the guidelines for diagnosis of this disorder. Efforts should be made to more consistently use guidelines for AP diagnosis.