Stroke clinical coding education program in Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Accurate coded diagnostic data are important for epidemiological research of stroke.

Objective: To develop, implement and evaluate an online education program for improving clinical coding of stroke.

Method: The Australia and New Zealand Stroke Coding Working Group co-developed an education program comprising eight modules: rationale for coding of stroke; understanding stroke; management of stroke; national coding standards; coding trees; good clinical documentation; coding practices; and scenarios.

History and development of national burden of disease assessment in Australia.

Australia's 1996 national burden of disease (BoD) study was one of the first in the world and updates have continued over the following two decades with the fifth study now underway. The studies adapt the global framework most recently implemented by the Global Burden of Disease Study and the World Health Organization to suit Australia's specific needs, producing estimates of fatal and non-fatal burden via the Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) metric, as well as attribution of the burden to many risk factors. Detailed Australian data are used with minimal reliance on modelling to fill data gaps.

Issues and challenges for health information systems in the Pacific.

The aim of this paper is to summarise common issues and challenges for health information systems (HIS) in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) as identified by Pacific participants at two meetings held by the HIS Knowledge Hub in 2009 and provide suggestions for future action. The global agenda and drivers of HIS were discussed at both meetings to provide a clearer understanding of how Pacific Island countries are positioned within the larger international agenda. The two meetings provided the opportunity for participants to highlight suggestions for future action.