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Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on July 13, 2006
Journal of Public Health 2006 28(3):283-287; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdl044
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© The Author 2006, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.

Ethnicity recording in general practice computer systems



P. Kumarapeli, Research Assistant1

R. Stepaniuk, DataNet Project Lead2

S. de Lusignan, Senior Lecturer1

R. Williams, DataNet Lead Clinician2

G. Rowlands, Professor3
1 Primary Care Informatics, Division of Community Health Sciences, St. George’s—University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK
2 Primary Care Service Improvement, Lambeth PCT, 1 Lower Marsh, London SE17NT, UK
3 Institute of Primary Care and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK

Address correspondence to S. de Lusignan, E-mail: slusigna{at}sgul.ac.uk

Background Ethnicity data in general practice (GP) computerized medical records can be utilized to audit equity in health care.

Methods We evaluated a patient profiling project targeted to improve ethnicity recording.

Results Data extracted from 16 practices showed an increase in ethnicity recording from <1% before the intervention to 48% after. Recorded codes could be mapped onto the basic national statistics six-category ethnicity classification headings, and their proportions were similar to the 2001 census values.

Conclusion Recording of data using multiple coding hierarchies has reduced the utility of data as clinically important ethnic subgroups cannot be identified. Practitioners should be encouraged to use the single recommended ethnicity coding hierarchy.

Keywords: computers, demography, ethnic groups, ethnicity, general practice, medical records systems computerized, primary care, vocabulary controlled


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