The accuracy of retrospective chart review in measuring nosocomial infection rates: Results of validation studies in pilot hospitals

Robert W. Haley, Dennis R. Schaberg, Donna K. Mcclish, Donna Quade, Kent B. Crossley, David H. Culver, W. Meade Morgan, John E. Mcgowan, Richard H. Shachtman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

To measure the accuracy and consistency of a standardized method-retrospective chart review (RCRp)-for estimating nosocomial infection rates (NIRs) in individual hospitals, the authors performed a series of pilot studies in four hospitals of different types. in comparison with a standard based on diagnoses made by physician-epidemioioglsts supervising intensive prospective data collection teams, the RCR method was found to have an average sensttivity of 0.74 (±0.02 SE; range 0.69-0.78) and an average speclflclty of 0.964 (±0.002; 0.945-0.991). These values were comparable to those of the physician-epidemiologists' diagnoses and varied less among the hospitals. Two independent teams of chart reviewers were found to have similar levels of sensitivity and specificity, and the reliability of diagnosis at the level of the individual chart reviewer averaged 0.94. In a restudy at one of the pilot hospC tais at the midpoint of the actual Medical Records Survey (MRS), there was a substantial increase in sensttivity and a slight increase in specificity as a result of improvements made in the RCR method after the original pilot studies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)516-533
Number of pages18
JournalAmerican Journal of Epidemiology
Volume111
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1980

Keywords

  • Cross infection
  • Epidemiologic methods
  • Health surveys
  • Medical records
  • Pllot projects
  • Prospective studies
  • Retrospective studies
  • Statistics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology

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