January 26, 2011
The Question
Medical investigators and decision-makers often rely on administrative codes to gauge infections rates and outcomes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). One such database is the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Is this method of assessment reliable?
What we found
49% of hospitalized patients in the study who were classified as infected with MRSA had no record of a MRSA infection during their hospital stay. The agreement between MRSA classification and actual presence of MRSA infection had a ? coefficient of 0.26.
Why it matters
Based on the results of the study, the current ICD-9-CM is not a precise indicator of MRSA infection and should not be used to measure rates of MRSA infection.