The clinical diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease – reuse of electronic medical record data from 189 patients visiting a Swedish university hospital emergency department
2006

Understanding Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Diagnosis

Sample size: 189 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Eggert Jan, Sundquist Kristina, van Vuuren Caroline, Fianu-Jonasson Aino

Primary Institution: Karolinska Institute

Hypothesis

What is the clinical basis for the diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in a Swedish hospital setting?

Conclusion

The clinical basis for the diagnostics of PID was largely in accordance with the criteria in the CDC 2002 Guidelines.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study included 189 out-patients diagnosed with PID.
  • Abdominal pain was reported by 98% of the patients.
  • The clinical symptoms matched the CDC 2002 Guidelines.

Takeaway

Doctors used patient records to check how well they diagnosed pelvic inflammatory disease, and they found that their methods mostly matched official guidelines.

Methodology

A retrospective study analyzing electronic medical records of 189 out-patients diagnosed with PID.

Potential Biases

The emergency ward environment may have affected the quality of the case notes.

Limitations

Some patients may not have had PID, and the study did not include missed cases of PID.

Participant Demographics

More than half of the patients were 30 years old or younger, and 36% were childless.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6874-6-16

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