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Comparison of administrative data with the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) colorectal cancer database

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International Journal of Colorectal Disease Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

This study compared case volume and operative mortality from surgery for colorectal cancer in England derived from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) with the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) colorectal cancer database.

Materials and methods

Data extracted from HES records for 2001–2002 for patients undergoing one of seven procedures for colorectal cancer were compared with those from the ACPGBI database. The primary endpoint was a 30-day post-operative mortality.

Results

16,346 patients from HES were compared with 7,635 from the ACPGBI database. For trusts with patients in both databases, HES reported 12% more procedures than ACPGBI (7,516 vs 6,617). Records of anterior resection revealed reasonable agreement between HES and the ACPGBI databases (difference, 2%). By trust, the overall correlation between the reported procedures was 0.660. Reported crude mortality was inconsistent between the databases, with mortality from abdominoperineal excision of rectum showing the poorest correlation (r = 0.253).

Conclusions

Overall, agreement between reported caseload and mortality was reasonable at a national, but not hospital, level. Investigation of differences between the two databases at unit level may help to detect under reporting of cases. The combination of data from both sources could be used to develop an enhanced system for monitoring outcomes from colorectal surgery in England.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Susan Williams for providing the data extracts for this study and to the following hospitals who contributed patients to the study on which this paper is based: Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust, Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust, County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, East Somerset NHS Trust, East Somerset NHS Trust, East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust, Gateshead Health NHS Trust, Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust, Harrogate Healthcare NHS Trust, Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust, Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Trust, James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust, Kings College Hospital NHS Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust, Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust, Newham Healthcare NHS Trust, North Bristol NHS Trust, North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust, Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Poole Hospitals NHS Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust, Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, St Mary’s NHS Trust, Stockport NHS Trust, Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust, The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust, Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, Wirral Hospital NHS Trust, Worthing and southlands Hospitals NHS Trust, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust and York Health services NHS Trust.

Sources of financial support

The Health Foundation ‘Engaging With Quality’ Grant supported this study financially. MG was funded by the School of Medicine and Allied Sciences, the University of Umm Al-Qura, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Dr Foster Unit at Imperial is funded by a grant from Dr Foster Intelligence (an independent health service research organisation).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College London, St. Mary’s Hospital, Upper Ground Floor, Praed Street, London, W2 1PG, UK

    Mohammed Garout

  2. Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology, Imperial College London, St. Mary’s Hospital, London, UK

    Henry S. Tilney & Paris P. Tekkis

  3. Department of Primary Care and Social Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Paul Aylin

Authors
  1. Mohammed Garout
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  2. Henry S. Tilney
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  3. Paris P. Tekkis
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  4. Paul Aylin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Aylin.

Additional information

On behalf of the Dr Foster Unit, Imperial College London and The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

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Garout, M., Tilney, H.S., Tekkis, P.P. et al. Comparison of administrative data with the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) colorectal cancer database. Int J Colorectal Dis 23, 155–163 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-007-0390-z

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