Reliability of a measure of severity of illness: acute physiology of chronic health evaluation--II

J Clin Epidemiol. 1992 Feb;45(2):93-101. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(92)90001-4.

Abstract

This study examines how reliably the components of the APACHE II score (Acute Physiology Score (APS), age and chronic health) are abstracted from the medical record in terms of inter-rater reproducibility (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC], kappa). In the sample studied, assignment of the APS is highly reproducible (ICC = 0.90). Reproducibility of the age variable (ICC = 0.998) suggests that age is accurately abstracted. Chronic health data does not fare as well as the APS and age (kappa = 0.66). This study suggests that the components of the APACHE II score can be collected reliably.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Abstracting and Indexing / standards*
  • Activities of Daily Living
  • Age Factors
  • Blood Gas Analysis
  • Body Temperature
  • Chronic Disease*
  • Electrolytes
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Glasgow Coma Scale
  • Hematocrit
  • Hemodynamics
  • Humans
  • Leukocyte Count
  • Medical Records / standards
  • Medical Records Systems, Computerized
  • Observer Variation
  • Physiology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index*

Substances

  • Electrolytes