Differential Distributions: A refined methodology to indirect reference interval estimation by including Patient's health status according to associated ICD-10 codes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Traditional methods for estimating reference intervals (RIs) using patient's blood test results from the clinical routine, typically remove outliers without considering the nuanced health statuses of patients. This removes a vast majority of test results for reference interval estimation without considering the actual health status of the patient.

Methods

We introduce the Differential Distribution Method (DDM) which uses laboratory routine data coded with ICD-10 to approximate an underlying non-diseased age and sex stratified population from mixed clinical data. By removing test results that stem from subpopulations significantly different from the general population, reference intervals can be generated stratified by sex and age, taking into account the associate

SUBMITTER: Schar D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12275890 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature