Agreement between hospital and primary care on diagnostic labeling for COPD and heart failure in Toronto, Canada: a cross-sectional observational study

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart failure (HF) are frequently cared for in hospital and in primary care settings. We studied labeling agreement for COPD and HF for patients seen in both settings in Toronto, Canada. This was a retrospective observational study using linked hospital-primary care electronic data from 70 family physicians. Patients were 20 years of age or more and had at least one visit in both settings between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2014. We recorded labeling concordance and associations with clinical factors. We used capture-recapture models to estimate the size of the populations. COPD concordance was 34%; the odds ratios (ORs) of concordance increased with aging (OR 1.84 for age 75+ vs. <65, 95% CI 0.92–3.69) and more inpatient admissions (OR 2.89 for 3+ visits vs. 0 visits, 95% CI 1.59–5.26). HF concordance was 33%; the ORs of concordance decreased with aging (OR 0.39 for 75+ vs. <65, 95% CI 0.18–0.86) and increased with more admissions (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.33–4.30 for 3+ visits vs. 0 visits). Based on capture-recapture models, 21–24% additional patients with COPD and 18–20% additional patients with HF did not have a label in either setting. The primary care prevalence was estimated as 748 COPD patients and 834 HF patients per 100,000 enrolled adult patients. Agreement levels for COPD and HF were low and labeling was incomplete. Further research is needed to improve labeling for these conditions.