Recording of postoperative complications: Quantity and quality

AbstractObjective: To evaluate a simple working procedure for recording postoperative complications.Design: Prospective cohort study.Setting: Teaching hospital, Denmark.Subjects: 218 of 312 patients who were operated on from March to July 1996.Interventions: Follow up 30 days after operation by looking up the local register of complications, review of medical records and by structured telephone interview with the patient.Main outcome measures: Morbidity.Results: All the patients were recorded in the local register, showing a complication rate of 21% (n = 49). However the medical record and the telephone interview showed complication rates of 68 (31%) and 76 (33%), respectively.Conclusion: It is possible to improve the quantity of the recording by a simpli?ed working procedure, while the quality is still a challenge.