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A Method for Constructing a New Extensible Nomenclature for Clinical Coding Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

Clinical coding is a requirement to provide valuable data for billing, epidemiology and health care resource allocation. In sub-Saharan Africa, we observe a growing awareness of the need for coding of clinical data, not only in health insurances, but also in governments and the hospitals. Presently, coding systems in sub-Saharan Africa are often used for billing purposes. In this paper we consider the use of a nomenclature to also have a clinical impact. Often coding systems are assumed to be complex and too extensive to be used in daily practice. Here, we present a method for constructing a new nomenclature based on existing coding systems by considering a minimal subset in the sub-Saharan region. Evaluation of completeness will be done nationally using the requirements of national registries. The nomenclature requires an extension character for dealing with codes that have to be used for multiple registries. Hospitals will benefit most by using this extension character.
Journal: Stud Health Technol Inform
ISSN: 0926-9630
Volume: 245
Pages: 965-967
Publication year:2017
Keywords:Clinical Coding, Names, Africa South of the Sahara
Authors:International
Accessibility:Open