Skip to main content

Major update to ICD-10 on OpenCodelists

Posted:

As of this week, we have implemented an updated release of ICD-10 on OpenCodelists, designed to work specifically with OpenSAFELY data for increased coverage across multiple datasets at once. This release combines the ICD-10 editions used in both ONS mortality data and NHS hospital admissions data, meaning that a single ICD-10 codelist now has increased coverage across multiple datasets in OpenSAFELY.

Why this matters

Previously, OpenCodelists used only the most recent edition of ICD-10 which provided good coverage of clinical events in the OpenSAFELY ONS Deaths dataset, but only partial coverage of clinical events in the Hospital Admissions dataset which uses an older edition. By updating OpenCodelists to use a combination of these two editions you can now create codelists which have full coverage of clinical events across these two datasets. We’ve also added lots of extra information within OpenCodelists to guide you on creating, updating, and using ICD-10 codelists appropriately for these datasets.

How to use it

When you create a new ICD-10 codelist, OpenCodelist will default to using the new combined release. You’ll now experience better code coverage, and lots more helpful information directly in OpenCodelists where we’ve identified any nuanced usage in UK health data, with links to further documentation and context provided.

The new release doesn’t affect any existing codelists that have already been built using the non-combined release of ICD-10. You can choose to update older codelists to use the new combined release, for increased coverage across multiple datasets.

Find out more