Factors affecting diagnosis coding in primary care – A qualitative study

Background: Coding diagnoses is part of a physician's daily routine. Good coding quality has several functions; it is, for example, the basis for the remuneration of contract doctors. In the field of general medicine, this process can, however, pose a particular challenge, as diagnoses are naturally more often excluded than made. In addition, the process of diagnosing informs treatment. Methods: 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with general practitioners from Schleswig-Holstein. The interviews were recorded with a dictaphone, pseudonymized, transcribed and then analyzed by content analysis according to Mayring. Results: 87 % (N = 20) of the participants were male, the mean age was 57 years, and the mean duration of work experience was 23 years. The ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) coding system was often criticized for not representing general medical practice and placing an increased administrative and time burden on physicians. At the same time, diagnostic pressure from external economic interests was perceived. Specifications of practice management systems or their additional programming options were used, among other things, to search for a code. Particular challenges arose in this context, e.g., complex clinical pictures and lack of time. Prescriptions without indication, among other things, have been made at the request of patients, due to a lack of time and concerns about doctor switching. In these cases, a diagnosis in the ICD-10 code that justified the therapy was sometimes used. Conclusions: The path leading from clinical findings to therapy and finally to the appropriate diagnostic code is a complex one, and it involves various influencing factors, including non-medical factors. These influencing factors must be taken into account in future secondary data analyses. The ICD-10 is not the ideal choice for mapping these processes in general medicine.