Identification of postoperative complications using electronic health record data and machine learning

Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) complication status of patients who underwent an operation at the University of Colorado Hospital, we developed a machine learning algorithm for identifying patients with one or more complications using data from the electronic health record (EHR). The model achieved 88% specificity, 83% sensitivity, 97% negative predictive value, 52% positive predictive value, and an area under the curve of 0.93. The model developed could be used for electronic postoperative complication surveillance to supplement manual chart review.