Accuracy testing of a linked administrative database of malignant spinal cord compression in Ontario cancer patients.

摘要

Malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) is a debilitating complication of malignancy. The primary objective of this study was to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of the diagnosis of MSCC in a linked administrative database. The secondary objectives were to: (i) determine the sensitivity of the case identification strategy; (ii) determine the accuracy of demographic, diagnostic and procedural data; and (iii) compare these accuracy rates between a community hospital and a comprehensive cancer centre. A total of 317 charts were re-abstracted from 2 centers. The PPV of the diagnosis of MSCC was 98.9% and the sensitivity of the search strategy was 87.2%. The accuracies of the demographic, diagnostic and procedural data varied widely. Gender showed the highest accuracy (99.1%) while the date of cancer diagnosis was the lowest (26.0%). There was little difference in accuracies rates between the two centers. This study increases the confidence of our previous population-based study.