Completeness of medical records of elderly women with breast cancer: A trend study

Abstract

Objective: To assess completeness and trends in completeness of medical records of elderly women with breast cancer who were diagnosed and admitted from 2001 to 2006 at a center for women’s health in the State of Sao Paulo. Methods: This was an analytical and descriptive study based on secondary data. For non-completeness analysis, the following classification was used: excellent (<5%), good (5-10%), regular (10-20%), poor (20-50%), and very poor (≥50%). Results: Socio-economic and demographic variables, as well as risk- and behavioral-factor-related variables, scored mainly as regular, poor, or very poor. The best scores were seen in post-treatment variables, followed by diagnosis- and treatment-related variables. The only variable to show a downward non-completeness trend was family history of breast cancer (p=0.05). A growing non-completeness trend was seen in the following variables: race/color (p=0.01), years of formal education (p=0.01), use of oral contraceptives (p=0.002), time of use of oral contraceptives (p=0.002), hormonal replacement (p=0.007), and breastfeeding (p=0.004). Conclusion: Variables classified as regular, poor, and very poor showed a predominantly constant completeness trend, followed by an growing in non-completeness trend. Only one variable showed an improvement in completeness trend. Full recording of all patient data on medical record is an inherent task for the entire healthcare team. Such recording is fundamental to establish care protocols, develop research studies, as well as implement public health policies.