Using Social Networks for Tele-consultation on the Covid-19 Clinical
Coding: A Quality Improvement Approach for Health Policy Making
Abstract
Objective: The accuracy of clinical coding in COVID-19 is
essential for quality of care, disease surveillance, as well as research
and reporting. This study aims to describe and categorize consultations
between medical coders based on the social media network in Iran on the
COVID-19 coding. Method: A clinical coding group in the social
network at the national level in Iran was established to follow
consultation regarding COVID-19 among coders. We also utilized an online
survey, which was designed to extract the problems coders encountered
during clinical coding and their opinion on whether these consultations
were effective. Herein, we report messages and communication records
exchanged among members of this network obtained between 21 February
2020 and 20 November 2020. Finally, we categorised the obtained
information and identified the problems for COVID-19 accurate coding in
Iran. Results: A total of 1,340 messages in 332 consultations
were exchanged amongst 76 coders. We categorised topics of consultations
into 11 categories. Most consultations dealt with “suspected or
probable” (n = 71), “clinical coding and diagnosis” (n=59) within 332
conversations. In 47% of consultations, the first reply was less than
10 ± 3 min. “Maternal and infant ” and “procedures and drugs ” were
the most common subjects with specific answer. Based on the viewpoints
of coders, online consultations can reduce the time of clinical coding
and increase coding accuracy. Conclusion: The establishment of
social networks among medical record coders is an efficient strategy to
deal with coding issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and improve the
quality of hospital records.