Methods:
At the beginning of the pandemic, there were many issues related to coding. As such, we used a clinical coding group in the social network named ”medical coding” which attracted senior (expert coders with high level of work experience) and junior (new coders with low level of work experience) coders throughout Iran. A coder is the person who enters the final diagnosis codes according to medical records and International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) guidelines. The social network medium was used to facilitate rapid communication and consultation, and to discuss unique or difficult cases. This medium also benefitted junior coders in small cities who used it for communication with senior coders. The first COVID-19 cases in Iran were identified on February 19 2020. Therefore, we started the analysis and recording process for a period of ten months starting in February 2020, covering 21 February 2020 to 20 November 2020. The research received ethical approval from the Ethical Committee of Mashhad University of Medical science, Faculty of Medicine (Approval Number: IR.MUMS.MEDICAL.REC.1399.612).