HOW YOU CAN APPLY ED Algorithm

There are couple of different analytical platform that you can use to apply ED/ER Algorithm. The most commons are Microsoft Access 2000 Version and SAS or SPSS Version.

USE Microsoft Access 2000 Version:
The Microsoft Access version of the ED algorithm contained a total of 2 files - “NYU ED Algorithm X.X.MDB" and NYUED.HLP.
Users need to place the two files in the same directory of the computer, open the file using Microsoft Access.  All further instructions can then be accessed by pressing F1 on your keyboard.  Context-specific help can be accessed after selected each menu choice, EXCEPT for the "Import a Dataset" menu choice.  To access help for that function, user need to use F1 button when viewing the main menu, and then select "Import a Dataset" from Help Table of Contents.

This version of the ED algorithm requires that your ED dataset be available in ASCII (text), Access, .DBF, or Excel format.

Using the SAS or SPSS Version:
For the SPSS version, the files are:
•    “DX GROUPS.SAV” - This file is merged onto your ED data in order to recode and group diagnoses;
•    ‘EDDXS.SAV" - This file lists diagnoses and the proportion of cases that are to be assigned to the classification categories; and
•    “ED Algorithm.sps” - This is the SPSS program that is used to run the algorithm.

For the SAS version (which will run in either SAS 7 or SAS 8), the files are:
•    “ED Macros.sas” - This file contains SAS macros that group or recode diagnoses and classify them into the categories described above;
•    ‘FINDXACS.SD7" - This file lists diagnoses and the proportion of cases that are to be assigned to the classification categories; and
•    “ED Algorithm Sample Program.sas” - This is the SAS program that is used to run the algorithm.
All files are contained in the compressed (zipped) file.
Applying the algorithm involves three simple steps:

    STEP 1:    Put the unzipped files in a directory along with the ED encounter data set you want to classify (containing one record for each ED visit).  The ED data set should be in the appropriate format (SAS 7 or 8, or SPSS) and contain a variable with the principal discharge diagnosis for the ED visit.
    STEP 2:    Set the appropriate names in the LET statements at the top of the program.
        For the SPSS version, specify the following: 1) IN SINGLE QUOTES, the full path name (including a final backslash) of the directory on your computer that contains the files, 2) IN SINGLE QUOTES, the name of the SPSS data set (including the .SAV extension) containing ED records to be classified, 3) the name of the variable in your data set that contains the principal diagnosis, and 4) IN SINGLE QUOTES, the name you want the program to use to write the output data set (including the .SAV extension).
STEP 3:    Run the program and analyze the output data set, which will be written to the same directory the other files are in.