The procedures include validations of record structure data, range/limits, time and internal consistency, persistence and spatial consistency tests.
The RNTCP, however, maintains a system of ongoing internal programme evaluation and review including periodic validations of recorded data and patient treatment outcomes.
The authors would like to thank Shawn Loftus and Robert Sawyer, MD for technical assistance with the institutional databases, Shobha Phansalkar for help with automated text analyses, Guillermo Giangreco, MD for help with the validation of the record review, and Kathleen Speck for coordinating our scientific and administrative activities.
One of the limitations of this study is that the anonymisation of HES data prevents the validation of individual records against the original clinical chart records.
By contrast, any bias related to diagnosis miscoding is more critical, and one of the limitations of routine data is that their anonymisation prevents the large-scale validation of individual records against the original clinical chart records.
Validation of the records by a medical expert revealed problems in 19% of the records; these were subsequently corrected.
Not that wind assistance is a factor in validation of marathon records – just course elevation.
JFO performed the validation of medical records.
As part of a BioSense-funded cooperative agreement, a validation of >9,000 records from two North Carolina hospitals showed >99% agreement with data received by CDC [ 28].
Ascertainment of PN outcomes came from self-reported data from index patients and from validation of clinic records to verify partner referral or partner treatment.
Self report, followed by retrieval and validation of medical records has the disadvantage of incomplete ascertainment due to drop out and low response rates to follow-up questionnaires.
