Cancer Registration Manual Understanding by Medical Record Administrators

BACKGROUND: This study examined: (a) whether medical record administrators (MRAs) properly understand and apply a cancer registration manual; (b) weaknesses in cancer registration: and (c) factors influencing the accuracy of cancer registration. METHODS: MRAs dealing with cancer registration in 81 national member hospitals were asked by mail to answer 17 questions about cancer information among registration items. After calculating rates of correct and incorrect answers to each question, an analysis was conducted of whether they were related to particular factors (hospital type, hospital location, number of hospital beds, experience of cancer registration, and experience of consulting cancer registration). RESULTS: A total of 45.7% of the participants gave approximately 90% correct answers. The rates for correct answers about general rules were under 90% for objectives of cancer registration and treatment. The rate concerning histologic type was over 90%, while few correct answers exceeded 50% to questions concerning newly revised rules for the colorectal system. For questions about initial treatment, date of diagnosis, and method of final diagnosis, as well as four questions on checking the validity of registered data, the correct answer rates were 70-90%. Regarding the features of hospitals and respondents, number of hospital beds and prior experience in cancer registration questions were found to contribute to the high rate of correct answers. CONCLUSION: To improve the accuracy of cancer registration, the manual needs to be supplemented in areas demonstrating low correct answer rates. Education opportunities and methods for MRAs should be diversified.