Data quality and auditing within the Netherlands Heart Registration: using the PCI registry as an example

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Informatics
• Data Management

Background:

• The Netherlands Heart Registration (NHR) is a national registry for cardiac interventions.
• Data quality is crucial for accurate reporting and patient care.
• Audits are essential for maintaining data integrity in healthcare registries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the methodology and findings of the NHR's data quality control system and audit process.
• To evaluate the accuracy of data for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
• To identify areas for improvement in data registration within the NHR.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide audit of 50-100 medical records per hospital for PCI patients from 2016-2017.
• Independent auditors compared NHR-reported data against hospital medical records.
• Screening of 12 patient characteristics, 5 intervention variables, and 3 outcome variables.

Main Results:

• Overall data consistency was high at 97.6%.
• All screened variables demonstrated accuracy above 95%, with the exception of multivessel disease (9.3% discrepancy).
• A total of 2622 medical records were reviewed for the audit.

Conclusions:

• The audit confirms a high overall quality of data within the NHR for PCI procedures.
• Specific variables, such as multivessel disease, require enhanced definition clarity and training for registration personnel.
• Continuous quality control and audits are vital for maintaining the reliability of national cardiac registries.