In trying to ensure all my Tumor Registry fact table items have corresponding concept codes in the Concept Dimension, I found NAACCR item 310 (Text-Usual Occupation) which has a format of "Free text." As you'd expect there are no entries in the NAACCR metadata for that. However, following the Heron fact load code, I created a whole bunch of facts with concept codes like "NAACCR|310:(n)TH GRADE TEACHER - (small Wisconsin town) SCHOOL DISTRICT"
To my semi-trained eye this looks like it would be pretty useless to I2B2. So I'm wondering what other sites do in similar situations. Possibilities that have occurred to me already are: 1) Exclude all "free text" format fields from the fact load. 2) Leave them in, hoping for codification someday Is there any reason NOT to exclude free text fields? Or some criteria to include some and exclude others? Patrick Lenon HIMC Informatics Specialist 608 890 5671
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