A simple clinical coding strategy to improve recording of child maltreatment concerns: an audit study.

Background: Recording concerns about child maltreatment, including minor concerns, is recommended by the General Medical Council (GMC) and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) but there is evidence of substantial under-recording.

Aim: To determine whether a simple coding strategy improved recording of maltreatment-related concerns in electronic primary care records.

Design And Setting: Clinical audit of rates of maltreatment-related coding before January 2010-December 2011 and after January-December 2012 implementation of a simple coding strategy in 11 English family practices.