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Estimating Sepsis Incidence Using Administrative Data and Clinical Medical Record Review

Mellhammar, Lisa LU ; Wollter, Erik ; Dahlberg, Jacob ; Donovan, Benjamin ; Olséen, Carl Johan ; Wiking, Per Ola ; Rose, Norman ; Schwarzkopf, Daniel LU ; Friedrich, Marcus and Fleischmann-Struzek, Carolin , et al. (2023) In JAMA Network Open 6(8). p.2331168-2331168
Abstract

Importance: Despite the large health burden, reliable data on sepsis epidemiology are lacking; studies using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-coded hospital discharge diagnosis for sepsis identification suffer from limited sensitivity. Also, ICD data do not allow investigation of underlying pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. Objectives: To generate reliable epidemiological estimates by linking data from a population-based database to a reference standard of clinical medical record review. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study using a population-based administrative database including all acute care hospitals of the Scania region... (More)

Importance: Despite the large health burden, reliable data on sepsis epidemiology are lacking; studies using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-coded hospital discharge diagnosis for sepsis identification suffer from limited sensitivity. Also, ICD data do not allow investigation of underlying pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. Objectives: To generate reliable epidemiological estimates by linking data from a population-based database to a reference standard of clinical medical record review. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study using a population-based administrative database including all acute care hospitals of the Scania region in Sweden in 2019 and 2020 to identify hospital-treated sepsis cases by ICD codes. From this database, clinical medical records were also selected for review within 6 strata defined by ICD discharge diagnosis (both with and without sepsis diagnosis). Data were analyzed from April to October 2022. Main outcomes and measures: Hospital and population incidences of sepsis, case fatality, antimicrobial resistance, and temporal dynamics due to COVID-19 were assessed, as well as validity of ICD-10 case identification methods compared with the reference standard of clinical medical record review. Results: Out of 295 531 hospitalizations in 2019 in the Scania region of Sweden, 997 patient medical records were reviewed, among which 457 had sepsis according to clinical criteria. Of the patients with clinical sepsis, 232 (51%) were female, and 357 (78%) had at least 1 comorbidity. The median (IQR) age of the cohort was 76 (67-85) years. The incidence of sepsis in hospitalized patients according to the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) criteria in 2019 was 4.1% (95% CI, 3.6-4.5) by medical record review. This corresponds to an annual incidence rate of 747 (95% CI, 663-832) patients with sepsis per 100 000 population. No significant increase in sepsis during the COVID-19 pandemic nor a decrease in sepsis incidence when excluding COVID-19 sepsis was observed. Few sepsis cases caused by pathogens with antimicrobial resistance were found. The validity of ICD-10-based case identification in administrative data was low. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of sepsis epidemiology, sepsis was a considerable burden to public health in Sweden. Supplying administrative data with information from clinical medical records can help to generate reliable data on sepsis epidemiology.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
JAMA Network Open
volume
6
issue
8
pages
2331168 - 2331168
publisher
American Medical Association
external identifiers
  • pmid:37642964
  • scopus:85168939237
ISSN
2574-3805
DOI
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31168
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8f98e08e-7662-41c5-b221-8a788b0656c2
date added to LUP
2023-10-31 14:53:58
date last changed
2024-04-19 04:14:26
@article{8f98e08e-7662-41c5-b221-8a788b0656c2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Importance: Despite the large health burden, reliable data on sepsis epidemiology are lacking; studies using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-coded hospital discharge diagnosis for sepsis identification suffer from limited sensitivity. Also, ICD data do not allow investigation of underlying pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. Objectives: To generate reliable epidemiological estimates by linking data from a population-based database to a reference standard of clinical medical record review. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study using a population-based administrative database including all acute care hospitals of the Scania region in Sweden in 2019 and 2020 to identify hospital-treated sepsis cases by ICD codes. From this database, clinical medical records were also selected for review within 6 strata defined by ICD discharge diagnosis (both with and without sepsis diagnosis). Data were analyzed from April to October 2022. Main outcomes and measures: Hospital and population incidences of sepsis, case fatality, antimicrobial resistance, and temporal dynamics due to COVID-19 were assessed, as well as validity of ICD-10 case identification methods compared with the reference standard of clinical medical record review. Results: Out of 295 531 hospitalizations in 2019 in the Scania region of Sweden, 997 patient medical records were reviewed, among which 457 had sepsis according to clinical criteria. Of the patients with clinical sepsis, 232 (51%) were female, and 357 (78%) had at least 1 comorbidity. The median (IQR) age of the cohort was 76 (67-85) years. The incidence of sepsis in hospitalized patients according to the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) criteria in 2019 was 4.1% (95% CI, 3.6-4.5) by medical record review. This corresponds to an annual incidence rate of 747 (95% CI, 663-832) patients with sepsis per 100 000 population. No significant increase in sepsis during the COVID-19 pandemic nor a decrease in sepsis incidence when excluding COVID-19 sepsis was observed. Few sepsis cases caused by pathogens with antimicrobial resistance were found. The validity of ICD-10-based case identification in administrative data was low. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of sepsis epidemiology, sepsis was a considerable burden to public health in Sweden. Supplying administrative data with information from clinical medical records can help to generate reliable data on sepsis epidemiology.</p>}},
  author       = {{Mellhammar, Lisa and Wollter, Erik and Dahlberg, Jacob and Donovan, Benjamin and Olséen, Carl Johan and Wiking, Per Ola and Rose, Norman and Schwarzkopf, Daniel and Friedrich, Marcus and Fleischmann-Struzek, Carolin and Reinhart, Konrad and Linder, Adam}},
  issn         = {{2574-3805}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{2331168--2331168}},
  publisher    = {{American Medical Association}},
  series       = {{JAMA Network Open}},
  title        = {{Estimating Sepsis Incidence Using Administrative Data and Clinical Medical Record Review}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31168}},
  doi          = {{10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31168}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}