gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: The use of routine data from patient care in emergency departments (ED) for health service research, surveillance, and quality management is becoming increasingly important. Standardized electronic documentation is a crucial prerequisite for the inter-institutional use of routine data. However, the comparison of data across emergency departments and the accurate depiction of the reason for seeking ED care (presenting complaint or symptom) is often hampered by disparities in primary documentation. By harmonizing data or mapping different standards, it is possible to merge different data fields into a common data field, enabling the collective analysis of differentially documented variables.

This study investigates the feasibility of mapping presenting complaints according to the Canadian Emergency Department Information System - Presenting Complaint List (CEDIS-PCL) [1] and presentational recognitions, i.e. symptoms and indicators, from the presentational flow charts of the Manchester Triage System (MTS) [2].

Methods: Emergency departments participating in the AKTIN emergency department data registry [3] were approached for collaboration in this study. Only EDs documenting both presenting complaints according to CEDIS-PCL and MTS presentational recognition were selected. After approval of the Ethics committee, EDs provided data from all cases that presented between 01.01.2023 and 31.12.2023 from their primary documentation system. The dataset comprises presenting complaint codes, symptoms and indicators according to the MTS presentational flow charts as well as age and gender.

First, the CEDIS codes and MTS symptoms of all cases will be summarized in a cross-table, and the assignability will be checked. In cases where a direct mapping of the two systems is not feasible, potential similarities or overlaps should be identified. An alternative approach is the definition of new categories in a new data field. The final step is the development of a mapping table, that will be presented to clinical experts for discussion and consensus.

Conclusion: In this study we will use data from four emergency departments and one pediatric emergency department, analyzing approx. 170.000 treatment cases.

The primary aim of this study is to merge different standards for the documentation of presenting complaints (CEDIS-PCL) or presentational recognitions (MTS presentational flow charts) for a common analysis of differently documented treatment cases. By developing a mapping between presenting complaints according to CEDIS-PCL and MTS presentational recognition, this study aims to create a consistent data basis that enhances the secondary use of treatment data for research and quality management purposes. Additionally, the use of SNOMED CT codes in the future could further improve the mapping of CEDIS presenting complaints and MTS presentational recognition, as previous mappings to SNOMED CT for both systems have been successful [4].

This structured approach will expand the data basis for future studies and facilitate further analyses and research.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

The authors declare that a positive ethics committee vote has been obtained.