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Capture and coding of industry and occupation measures: Findings from eight National Program of Cancer Registries states
Author(s) -
Freeman MaryBeth B.,
Pollack Lori A.,
Rees Judy R.,
Johnson Christopher J.,
Rycroft Randi K.,
Rousseau David L.,
Hsieh MeiChin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22739
Subject(s) - medicine , coding (social sciences) , statistics , mathematics
Background Although data on industry and occupation (I&O) are important for understanding cancer risks, obtaining standardized data is challenging. This study describes the capture of specific I&O text and the ability of a web‐based tool to translate text into standardized codes. Methods Data on 62 525 cancers cases received from eight National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) states were submitted to a web‐based coding tool developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for translation into standardized I&O codes. We determined the percentage of sufficiently analyzable codes generated by the tool. Results Using the web‐based coding tool on data obtained from chart abstraction, the NPCR cancer registries achieved between 48% and 75% autocoding, but only 12‐57% sufficiently analyzable codes. Conclusions The ability to explore associations between work‐related exposures and cancer is limited by current capture and coding of I&O data. Increased training of providers and registrars, as well as software enhancements, will improve the utility of I&O data.