Analysis on quality of reporting data of hepatitis C in some areas of China, 2013

Objective To understand the problems existed in hepatitis C case reporting in medical institutions in China and provide evidence for the improvement of the reporting data quality. Methods Twenty medical institutions which reported more hepatitis C cases were selected in Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces, and the reporting data quality in these medical institutions in the first quarter of 2013 was evaluated. Results Among 1856 laboratory confirmed anti-HCV positive cases, 822 were reported (44.3%). In 536 HCV-RNA positive cases, 251 were reported (46.8%). Among 1115 hospitalized patients, 621 were reported, in which 158 were correctly diagnosed (25.4%). In acute or chronic classification, 119 cases were correctly classified (19.2%). Conclusion The reporting quality of hepatitis C cases was not high in China. Both the reporting rate and correct classification rate were low. It is suggested to improve and revise current hepatitis C diagnosis criteria and strengthen the medical staff, training in order to improve the quality of hepatitis C case reporting.