UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

An algorithm for identification and classification of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a large primary care database

Sharma, M; (2016) An algorithm for identification and classification of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a large primary care database. Clinical Epidemiology , 8 pp. 373-380. 10.2147/CLEP.S113415. Green open access

[thumbnail of CLEP-113415-an-algorithm-for-identification-and-classification-of-indivi_101216.pdf]
Preview
Text
CLEP-113415-an-algorithm-for-identification-and-classification-of-indivi_101216.pdf - Published Version
Available under License : See the attached licence file.

Download (230kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Research into diabetes mellitus (DM) often requires a reproducible method for identifying and distinguishing individuals with type 1 DM (T1DM) and type 2 DM (T2DM). Objectives: To develop a method to identify individuals with T1DM and T2DM using UK primary care electronic health records. Methods: Using data from The Health Improvement Network primary care database, we developed a two-step algorithm. The first algorithm step identified individuals with potential T1DM or T2DM based on diagnostic records, treatment, and clinical test results. We excluded individuals with records for rarer DM subtypes only. For individuals to be considered diabetic, they needed to have at least two records indicative of DM; one of which was required to be a diagnostic record. We then classified individuals with T1DM and T2DM using the second algorithm step. A combination of diagnostic codes, medication prescribed, age at diagnosis, and whether the case was incident or prevalent were used in this process. We internally validated this classification algorithm through comparison against an independent clinical examination of The Health Improvement Network electronic health records for a random sample of 500 DM individuals. Results: Out of 9,161,866 individuals aged 0–99 years from 2000 to 2014, we classified 37,693 individuals with T1DM and 418,433 with T2DM, while 1,792 individuals remained unclassified. A small proportion were classified with some uncertainty (1,155 [3.1%] of all individuals with T1DM and 6,139 [1.5%] with T2DM) due to unclear health records. During validation, manual assignment of DM type based on clinical assessment of the entire electronic record and algorithmic assignment led to equivalent classification in all instances. Conclusion: The majority of individuals with T1DM and T2DM can be readily identified from UK primary care electronic health records. Our approach can be adapted for use in other health care settings.

Type: Article
Title: An algorithm for identification and classification of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in a large primary care database
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.2147/CLEP.S113415
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S113415
Language: English
Additional information: This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.
Keywords: Diabetes and endocrinology, epidemiology, public health, databases, algorithm
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1522159
Downloads since deposit
7Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item