Detailed case analysis of leprosy patients from 2015–2019 in Sri Lanka: Does data quality require improvement?

Sri Lanka is among the 16 countries with the highest leprosy burden. There have been no reviews of the globally reported data from Sri Lanka and data quality has not been ascertained.

Methods: We conducted a detailed analysis of cases in the leprosy databases available at the Anti-Leprosy Campaign (ALC). Details of all reported cases of leprosy from 2015 to 2019 were analysed by a panel of experts. In the event of discrepancies or missing data, additional information and new datasheets were obtained from ALC through personal communication.

Results: The total number of leprosy cases reported over the period (2015–2019) was 9294, and the average annual number of cases was within the range of 1749–2002. Regarding the accuracy and validity of the key indicators, the major indicators were within the range of other parallel data sources, with the exception of 2015. However, when analysing the datasets, a clear observation was that databases were created using different terminology, and there were no standard data entry guidelines available throughout this time period, which may have affected the completeness of the data, thus affecting data quality. Digit preferences, duplicates, and outliers, which were mainly confined to a few years, were observed.

Conclusion and recommendations: Although the case registry available at the ALC provides a good database for the comprehensive analysis of cases, it should be strengthened to improve the data quality. Because no guidelines currently exist for data coding and entry, developing guidelines and training data entry operators are recommended.