Evaluation report
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) coding capacities in Swiss University Hospitals using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
Cottler-Casanova S, Horowicz M, Gayet-Ageron A, Abdulcadir J ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study assessed how well Swiss university hospitals identify and record cases of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) among admitted patients from high-prevalence countries between 2016 and 2018. Researchers found that 8,720 women and girls from FGM/C-practicing countries were admitted, but only 207 cases were coded with an FGM/C diagnosis, suggesting a major gap in detection and recording. The study reveals that hospital coding systems are not capturing the true extent of FGM/C among this patient population, with significant variation between hospitals.
Key points
- 8,720 women and girls from 30 FGM/C high-prevalence countries were admitted to Swiss university hospitals between 2016-2018
- Only 207 patients were coded with an FGM/C diagnosis, representing 2.3% of admissions from high-prevalence countries
- The gap between expected cases and coded cases suggests low recording and coding capacity for FGM/C
- Significant variation in FGM/C case coding existed across hospitals, with Geneva recording a higher proportion
Limitations
This study documents coding capacity gaps but does not explain the causes of underdiagnosis or assess clinical outcomes for girls with FGM/C. It only covers inpatient admissions in Swiss university hospitals, so findings may not represent all healthcare settings or reflect community prevalence.
Abstract
Background: To assess the number of inpatient women and girls in Swiss university hospitals from countries with high female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) prevalence, and of inpatients with a coded diagnosis of FGM/C. Methods: : Exploratory descriptive study in Switzerland to assess the number of women and girls admitted to Swiss university hospitals between 2016 and 2018 from 30 FGM/C high prevalence countries (1), inpatients with a coded diagnosis of FGM/C (2). Participating hospitals provided anonymized data for all inpatient women and girls from 30 FGM/C practicing countries, and for all inpatients with a coded diagnosis of FGM/C. We calculated indirect estimates of inpatient women and girls with FGM/C and compared them with the number of inpatients with a coded diagnosis of FGM/C. Results: : 8720 women and girls from countries with high prevalence of FGM/C were admitted. 207 patients were coded with FGM/C, including 7 with a nationality outside the 30 targeted countries, corresponding to an overall prevalence of 2.3% (95%CI: 2.0-2.6). The number of FGM/C cases by hospital was significantly different across year ( P <0.001), with a higher proportion of cases collected in Geneva. Conclusions: : The comparison between indirect estimates of inpatients with or at risk of FGM/C and the low number of FGM/C cases coded, suggests low recording and coding capacities of FGM/C. Funding: Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and Swiss Network against Female circumcision, Caritas Switzerland.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Implementation of ICD coding systems for FGM/C diagnosis in Swiss university hospitals
- Population
- Women and girls admitted to Swiss university hospitals from 30 FGM/C high-prevalence countries (2016-2018)
Key finding
8,720 women and girls from FGM/C high-prevalence countries admitted
S et al. · Europe PMC · 18 Dec 2020