Table A  Summary of search terms

Table B  Review paper categorisations and characteristics in detail
 
 
 

List of bibliographic databases and data sources for review

Databases and lists

Medline

Embase www.cas.org/ONLINE/DBSS/embasess.html

CINAHL www.silverplatter.com/catalog/nurs.htm

PsycInfo www.apa.org/psycinfo/

Science Citation Index Expanded http://wos.mimas.ac.uk/jcrweb/

Social Sciences Citation Index http://wos.mimas.ac.uk/jcrweb/

Cochrane database www.cochrane.org/

DARE (database of abstract reviews of effectiveness) nhscrd.york.ac.uk/darehp.htm

NHS National research register www.doh.gov.uk/research/nrr.htm

Nursing Collection www.newcastle.edu.au/services/library/database/nursingcoll.html

Web of Science http://wos.mimas.ac.uk/

Conferences Proceedings 2000-1 (American Medical Informatics Association, Primary Health Care Specialist Group of the British Computer Society)

Contacts

DIEP Database (database of informatics in primary care (Tayside centre for general practice))

SCHIN (Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics at Newcastle) www.schin.ncl.ac.uk/content.asp

CHIMR (Centre for Health Information Management Research) www.shef.ac.uk/~is/research/chimr/chimr.html

PRIMIS (Primary Care Information Services) www.primis.nhs.uk/

Three dissertations on quality of primary care data (details available from authors)
 
 

Table A Summary of search terms
 

Criteria	Search
Electronic patient records*	MEDICAL RECORD, INFORMATION SYSTEMS Computerised data, database, electronic patient record
"Quality"	Quality, validity, accuracy, reliability, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, consistency, completeness
Primary care	GENERAL PRACTICE, FAMILY PRACTICE, PRIMARY CARE,
Publications language	English
Bibliographic search	1990-2001
Citations searches	1980-2001
Exclusion criteria	Health maintenance organisational (HMO) systems, administration systems, stand alone registers and pharmacy databases, discussions, duplicates studies,

*Searched for under capitalised medical subject headings. Search (MeSH) terms were truncated (ie, Valid$.tw) and alternative American spelling used where appropriate. As current research databases do not have bespoke MeSH headings for the term "data quality," we iteratively generated a list of synonym for "‘quality."
 
 

Table B (Posted as supplied by author) Review paper categorisations and characteristics in detail
 

Author		A	B	C	Reference standard description	EPR name	Study topic	Quality measures (terms used in text)
Basden et al48	p	3	2	13	EPR content	CLINICS	Administrative and management data	Error rates
Boydell28	p	4	2	1	Weekly RCGP returns and National Morbidity survey 81	GPASS	Common and significant conditions	Rates (data consistency)
Brown49	r	3	2	1 2	Internal data quality probes and notes	HMS system	Diagnosis v medication and markers	Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV (error, accuracy, inconsistency)
Department of GP UoA5	r	4	2	123	Local and national age, sex standardised prevalences	GPASS	Clinical, prescribing and administration	Rates (frequencies)
Eames4	c	4	2	1	National prevalence levels	Multi-	Insulin dependent diabetes+ IHD ECT+ treatment	Rates (expected /observed, age/sex standardised)
Grimsmo et al34	r	4	2	123	EPR encounter levels and standardised rates		Diagnosis and management data	Standardised rates, diagnosis profiles
Hansell et al26	r	4	2	1	MSGP4 and expectations, notes	GPRD		Rates
Hassey et al29	r	34	2	123	Secondary databases, prescription data, MSGP4, data triangulation	EMIS	Immunisation, registration, diagnosis, prescribing,	Sensitivity, specificity , PPV, likelihood ration, accuracy, prevalence, TPFN, DBFind
Hiddema-van de Wal et al10	p	3	1	12	Prescribing/diagnosis, guidelines recommendation	MicroHIS	4 medication groups: insulin, trimeethoprin, contraceptive pill, b blocker agents	Sensitivity, PPV (completeness and accuracy)
Hollowell27	r	4	2	1	MSGP4	GPRD	Chicken pox, allergic rhinitis, asthma, diabetes	Rates
Jick et al12	r	3	2	1	Hospital letters in notes	VAMP	Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs	Rates, sensitivity
Jick et al17	r	3	2	1	Interpractice comparison/2year care letters	VAMP	Routine data collection	Rates, sensitivity (concordance, completeness)
Johnson et al16	r	3	2	1	RCGP weekly returns-spotter practices	Meditel	Influenza epidemiology	Rates
Kaye et al25	r	34	2	1	Computer records and ONS and European data	GPRD	Breast cancer incidence	Rates (comparative trends)
Martin31	r	4	2	1	MSGP4/surveys	DIN	Diagnosis and prescribing	Rates (accuracy, completeness, representativeness)
Meal et al30	r	3,4	2	1	10% Notes and CHDGP national data	EMIS Meditel/ MIQUEST	CHD, diagnosis, time series	Rates sensitivity (internal validity- prevalence comparison)
Nazareth et al15	r	3	2	123	Case notes	VAMP	ID, prescribing and consultation	Sensitivity, specificity (accuracy)
Neal et al50	r	3	2	13	Notes	EMIS	Consultation data	Rates (% recorded)
Njalsson et al32	r	4	2	3	International rates		Consultation and population characteristics	Rates
Njalsson et al67	r	3	2	2	Prescriptions collected at pharmacy, x ray requests	Medicus	Registration data	Rates, sensitivity (accuracy and completeness)
Oxforshire MAAG6	c	3	2	12			Data recording levels	Rates (means comparison)
Pearson et al21	p	34	2	1	Notes and MSGP4		Diagnosis and episode codes	Rates, sensitivity, PPV (completeness, validity, consistency, detail)
PRIMIS7	c	4	2	1	Interpractice comparison		Diagnosis and management	Rates
Pringle et al18	r	13	2	123	Video, notes, MSGP4	EMIS	Diagnosis, prescribing, lifestyle, consultation	Rates, sensitivity, PPV (completeness and accuracy, timeliness, % occurrence)
Scobie et al47	c	3	2	123	Prescribing, notes	3 EMIS 3 Meditel	Diagnosis, ethnicity, risk factors	Sensitivity, timeliness (completeness,)
Simpson33	p	3	2	1	Notes	multi-	CHD case identification	Rates, sensitivity (Correctness)
Suarez et al24	r	2	2	2	Questionnaires, telephone surveys	UKPCD	Hypertensive treatment discontinuation	Kappa, sensitivity
Teasdale et al9	p	34	1	1	Codes prevalence, before and after			Rates
Thiru et al11	r	34	1	12	Rate comparison	EMIS, Meditel	Diagnosis and identification, management and prescription	Rates
Van Staa et al19	r	23	2	123	Discharge letters	VAMP research data bank		Sensitivity, PPV, concordance, (agreement, utility, date discordance)
Van Staa et al14	r	2	2	1	Sample 150-GP questionnaire, discharge summaries in notes	GPRD	Risk of fractures and exposure to oral corticosteroids	Sensitivity (validity, consistency)
Van Weel22	p	2	2	1	Questionnaire based on WHO and ICHPPC		WHO definition of diabetes and migraine	Rates, sensitivity (completeness, lack of sensitivity with GP disease definition)
Vernon52	r	3	2	1	Prescription data		Correcting data	Sensitivity
Vlug et al13	p	24	2	12	Questionnaire clinician, Hypothesis testing		Pharmacoepidemiology	Sensitivity (completeness)
Whitelaw et al20	r	234	2	12	Notes, patient questionnaires	GPASS	Prescribing and associated diagnosis	Sensitivity, PPV
Whitelaw et al23	c	234	2	12	Notes and questionnaires, MSGP4	GPASS	Primary diagnosis, life time prevalence	Rates (triangulation- assessment of prevalence)
Williams8	c	3	2	1	Appearance of Read codes	multi-	MI, IHD, DM, qualitative perspectives	Sensitivity (completeness and currency)
Cass et al45	c	24	3	13	Standardised questionnaires.		Quality of life of unrecognised mood and anxiety disorders	Sensitivity, PPV (completeness, concordance)
Derby et al37	r	3	3	1	Gp held referrals, letters Notes	GPRD	Cataract	Sensitivity (accuracy)
Derby et al40	p	2	3	1	Patient contacted by phone and questionnaire, GP also contacted	GPRD	Appendectomy	Rates, odds ratios % recorded
Eland et al38	r	3	3	1	Notes	GPRD	Acute pancreatitis with acid suppressing drugs	Rates, PPV
Frischer et al46	r	3	3	123	GPRD	RDMD	Drug misuse or dependence codes	Rates
Garcia Rodriguez et al44	r	34	3	1	Notes	GPRD	Risk of acute liver injury	Rates, PPV
Gill et al42	r	34	3	1	Notes	VAMP	Angina prevalence	Rates, prevalence, incidence
Gray et al35	r	34	3	1	Notes	EMIS	CHD identification	Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, yield
Hippisley-Cox et al53	c	34	3	12	EPR -G4 and nitrates	NA	IHD sex differences in IHD management	Rates
Hung et al39	r	3	3	1	20 GPs review	Medical Historian	Diagnosis	Rates, sensitivity, PPV (accuracy)
Lawrenson et al36	r	3	3	1	GP questionnaire and hospital notes	GPRD	Venus thromboembolism and oral contraceptives	Sensitivity, PPV, odds ratio (accuracy, completeness)
McColl et al54	r	34	3	123	Interpractice rate variation and notes	LK Global Clinical System, EMIS, VAMP, Meditel, MicroDoc	Performance indicators	Rates, sensitivity (completeness, interpractice coding variation)
Meara et al43	c	14	3	1	Re-examination of patients to validate		Parkinson’s disease	Sensitivity, PPV, specificity (disease confirmation)
Petursson55	r	3	3	2	EPR diagnosis	ACT Nordic system	Prescribing v diagnosis	Rates, odds ratios
Turnbull et al41	r	234	3	1	Validated by specialist, rate comparisons, international	GPRD	Eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia	Rates, PPV, relative risk

p= prospective, c= cross sectional, r= retrospective; Category A, B and C are equivalent to gold standard, study objectives and data type as described in text (box). (Bracketed terms represent alternative, non-standard quality defining terms used within text.)
 

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

The validity of validity?

Peter W Moorman
bmj.com, 23 May 2003 [Full text]