Vol.74 No.3 May 2026

Role of administrative staff in ensuring the quality of claims data: their awareness about antimicrobial stewardship and input assistance practices

Tomohide Shimodaira^{1, 2, 3)}, Masaki Machida^{2, 4)}, Itaru Nakamura²⁾, Hiroshi Kuwata³⁾, Shuntaro Hara³⁾, Hidehiro Watanabe²⁾ and Hironori Takeuchi¹⁾

¹⁾Department of Pharmacy, Tokyo Medical University Hospital
²⁾Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Tokyo Medical University Hospital, 6-7-1 Nishi shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
³⁾Department of Health Chemistry, Showa Medical University Graduate School of Pharmacy
⁴⁾Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global public health concern, making quality assessments of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) essential for the implementation of effective strategies. In Japan, administrative claims data are utilized for administrative reporting related to infection control incentives and for various surveillance activities, rendering the quality of these data critical to the AMS process. However, it remains unclear whether the administrative staff involved in the data preparation understand the significance of their tasks.
We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey of 322 administrative staff members at a single university hospital. The survey assessed the background factors (department, years of experience) of the staff members, their AMS-related awareness (awareness about the AMS team [AST] and about the use of claims data as quality indicators), and the frequency at which they conducted medical record review during input assistance for infectious disease diagnoses.
The response rate was 39.8% (128/322). Awareness about the AST and about the use of claims data as quality indicators was low in both the billing department (n=42; 42.9% and 33.3%, respectively) and other departments (n=86; 23.3% and 22.1%, respectively). However, within the billing department, staff with ≥10 years of experience showed significantly higher awareness about both than those with <10 years of experience (AST: 83.3% vs. 26.7%, p=0.003; quality indicators: 66.7% vs. 20.0%, p=0.009). In contrast, no significant differences related to years of experience were observed in other departments. Among the billing department staff responsible for input assistance (n=32), the proportion that "always" reviewed medical records was significantly higher in the group with ≥10 years of experience (90.9% vs. 40.0%, p=0.029).
These findings reveal a significant knowledge gap regarding AMS among administrative staff, particularly among those with fewer years of experience. To advance AMR countermeasures using accurate data, healthcare institutions should position administrative staff as integral members of healthcare teams and implement continuous, role-specific educational programs.

Key word

antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, questionnaire survey, surveillance, administrative claims data

Received

October 10, 2025

Accepted

January 19, 2026

Jpn. J. Chemother. 74 (3): 421-427, 2026