Designing a Minimum Data Set for Electronic Health Record of Patients With Hemorrhoid Disease in Iran

Hemorrhoid disease is one of the most common anorectal diseases that affect millions of people around the world. Implementing a hemorrhoid management and prevention program using its data management system can be an effective step to improve the quality of care, control disease, and improve the society health. The present study aims to determine the minimum data set (MDS) for electronic health record of patients with hemorrhoid disease in Iran.

In this descriptive-analytical stud that was conducted in 2021, related papers and clinical records of patients with hemorrhoid disease in Iran were first studied. Then, the proposed MDS was validated using a researcher-made questionnaire based on a Likert scale with acceptable content validity and test-retest reliability (r=0.90), and by implementing the Delphi technique based on the opinions of 20 experts (internal medicine specialists and general practitioners in hospitals of Ferdous and Birjand cities and health information management specialists in Ferdous city). Sampling was not done due to the low number of participants. Finally, the findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software version 19.

A total of 43 data elements were finally selected for implementing the Delphi technique. Of these, two data elements were removed in the first round; therefore, 39 data elements as well as two data elements with a score of 50-75% and three suggested data elements entered the second round of Delphi. Of these, 42 were approved in the second round.

Determining the MDS for electronic health record of patients with hemorrhoid disease can be an effective step towards integrating the information of these patients in Iran and can improve their information management.