Who should log SHIPS? The accuracy of Scottish Hospital Morbidity Data for Wilson's disease.

We have studied the accuracy of the hospital diagnostic data for Wilson's disease (WD) in Scotland. The computerised records of the Scottish Hospital In-Patient Statistics provided information on 41 patients, coded as having been discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of WD. Review of the patients' case notes revealed that 12 (29.6%) did not have WD, although half of these cases had 'query Wilson's disease' on the discharge summary or letter. In the other six cases, errors arose due to miscoding by the medical records staff.