A Classificação Internacional de Doenças: usos na organização e representação da informação no contexto da saúde

Abstract

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the basis for identifying health trends and statistics around the world. The objective of this study is to explain the specificities of the ICD in order to establish a greater dialogue between the fields of Information Science and Health regarding the organization of information and knowledge. To this end, a documentary research was developed, an instrument to map the uses of the ICD by professionals working in the health field and an opinion survey, exploratory, qualitative and transversal, to map the uses of the ICD by professionals working in the health field. The documentary analysis showed that concerns about the organization and representation of Information Science knowledge are quite diverse in quantity and themes. To carry out the opinion research, an instrument was developed following an exploratory and empirical approach. In this research, a convenience population consisting of 127 healthcare professionals with higher education was considered. The data show that 65.4% of participants declared themselves to be female, that brown ethnicity was the most common (47.2%) and that the majority of professionals fall into the age range of 31 to 40 years (47.2 %) and 41 to 50 (28.3%) years. In relation to the professions with the highest number of participants, nursing stood out, with 34.6%, and technology areas, with 15%. The majority of respondents (74.8%) declared that they had some knowledge about the ICD; however, only 7.1% know all its functions. Around 18.1% of professionals stated that they had never used the ICD, while 60.3% stated that they had never received training on the ICD and only 2.4% had received continuous training. The most used tool to find out the meaning of an ICD code is Google, as this tool was recommended by 85% of participants. The main barrier to using the ICD is the lack of knowledge about it (57.5%), as well as the lack of an electronic system to support the use of the ICD (45.7%) and the lack of interest on the part of the professionals themselves (34, 6%). Around 76.4% of professionals highlighted that having training is the main facilitating element for using the ICD. Regarding the terminologies considered essential for the health area, the ICD stands out, as it was remembered by the majority of professionals (78.5%). As a qualitative result, the health professionals participating in the study discussed three themes on how to improve the use of the ICD, namely: 1) Training and continuing education; 2) Education in undergraduate courses, such as, for example, in undergraduate health courses, a mandatory subject on the use of the ICD and encouraging its use in professional internships; and 3) Adaptations in work environments, such as, for example, incorporating the ICD into health information systems. This research reinforces that there is no room for timidity in Information Science in the field of Health, as collaborations can be established both to improve the ICD and to develop courses, disciplines and specialized training.