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).