NHS England Infection Diagnosis Digital Coding Survey

NHS England are asking for you views if you enter details into the electronic health records of patients with common acute infections.

Did you know that almost 50% of prescriptions for antibiotics are not associated with a coded indication in the electronic health record? [Gulliford MC 2020] GPs have identified the lack of a shortlist of recommended codes as a barrier to digital coding of infection syndromes. 

NHS England has commissioned NECS to develop a shortlist of recommended digital codes for common acute infection syndromes encountered in primary care. Implementation of a shortlist of recommended codes list is expected to bring a number of benefits, including: 

• Improved patient safety through better communication and continuity of patient care
• Accurate information on burden of disease and significant changes over time
• More efficient coding, supported by digital systems, to save time for clinicians
• Insights into antibiotic prescribing by diagnosis to understand variation in practice 

This 10-15 minute survey [https://necs.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/infection-diagnosis-digital-coding-validation-survey] is intended to validate the recommendations of a Clinical and Digital Reference Group that reviewed SNOMED codes for common acute infection syndromes. The survey will be open for two weeks, between Monday 15 January and Friday 26 January 2024.