Abstract
The Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database contains discharge data and administrative claim data, including diagnoses, comorbidities and complications coded with ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision) codes ; procedures; duration of anesthesia; volume of blood transfusion; drugs and devices used; length of stay; discharge status; and costs. Data are collected over 6 months (from July 1 to December 31) each year. In 2008, data on approximately 2.9 million in-patients were collected from 855 hospitals, which represent approximately 40% of all acute care in-patient hospitalization in Japan. Researchers can utilize the DPC database to identify, track, and analyze national trends in healthcare utilization, access, outcomes and costs. The database can be utilized for clinical epidemiological studies. The aims of this report are to (i) explain the details of the DPC database, (ii) compare the DPC database with the US administrative database (including the Medicare Claim Database and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database), (iii) clarify the advantages and disadvantages of the DPC database, (iv) present several clinical research cases using the DPC database and (v) discuss the important role of the DPC database for the development of clinical studies and health service research in Japan.
