Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26700284›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2015

Validation and optimisation of an ICD-10-coded case definition for sepsis using administrative health data.

Rachel J Jolley, Hude Quan, Nathalie Jetté, Keri Jo Sawka, Lucy Diep, Jade Goliath, Derek J Roberts, Bryan G Yipp, Christopher J Doig

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
87citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

87 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 149 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. Determinants of time to positivity in bloodstream infections: an analysis of a population-based cohort in Queensland, Australia.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
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27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Rachel J JolleyDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Hude QuanDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada O'Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7848-7256
Nathalie JettéDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada O'Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Keri Jo SawkaDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lucy DiepDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Jade GoliathDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Derek J RobertsDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Department of Surgery, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada Department of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Bryan G YippDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Snyder Institute of Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Christopher J DoigDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Department of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Snyder Institute of Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
University of Calgary · CA

Funding

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAdministrative health data are important for health services and outcomes research. We optimised and validated in intensive care unit (ICU) patients an International Classification of Disease (ICD)-coded case definition for sepsis, and compared this with an existing definition. We also assessed the definition's performance in non-ICU (ward) patients. SETTING AND

participantsAll adults (aged ≥ 18 years) admitted to a multisystem ICU with general medicosurgical ICU care from one of three tertiary care centres in the Calgary region in Alberta, Canada, between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2012 were included. RESEARCH

designPatient medical records were randomly selected and linked to the discharge abstract database. In ICU patients, we validated the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) ICD-10-CA (Canadian Revision)-coded definition for sepsis and severe sepsis against a reference standard medical chart review, and optimised this algorithm through examination of other conditions apparent in sepsis. MEASURES: Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.

resultsSepsis was present in 604 of 1001 ICU patients (60.4%). The CIHI ICD-10-CA-coded definition for sepsis had Sn (46.4%), Sp (98.7%), PPV (98.2%) and NPV (54.7%); and for severe sepsis had Sn (47.2%), Sp (97.5%), PPV (95.3%) and NPV (63.2%). The optimised ICD-coded algorithm for sepsis increased Sn by 25.5% and NPV by 11.9% with slightly lowered Sp (85.4%) and PPV (88.2%). For severe sepsis both Sn (65.1%) and NPV (70.1%) increased, while Sp (88.2%) and PPV (85.6%) decreased slightly.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates that sepsis is highly undercoded in administrative data, thus under-ascertaining the true incidence of sepsis. The optimised ICD-coded definition has a higher validity with higher Sn and should be preferentially considered if used for surveillance purposes.

Indexed as

AgedAlgorithmsCanadaClinical CodingDatabases, FactualFemaleHospitalizationHumansIntensive Care UnitsInternational Classification of DiseasesMaleMedical RecordsMiddle AgedPatient DischargeSensitivity and SpecificitySepsisAdministrative DataDiagnosis ValidationInternational Classification of DiseasePatient Care/ClassificationSepsis

Identifiers

PMID26700284
PMCPMC4691777
OpenAlexW2261776294

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.