Data Element
Education Level
Description

Highest level of education obtained. This is important for research and health care policy using social determinants of health (SDOH). Value should be as identified by patient. The AAPM Operational Ontology for Radiation Oncology ( https://aapmbdsc.azurewebsites.net) identified this element as high priority for routine collection.

Reference for value set items selected was American Community Survey https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/demo/educational-attainment/cps… .

Standard values identified are
None

Elementary School

High School Or GED

College no degree

Associates degree vocational

Associates degree academic

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Professional degree

Doctorate degree
Submitted By: Charles Mayo / University of Michigan
Data Element Information
Use Case Description(s)
Use Case Description This element supports social determinants of health research and public health polict
Estimate the breadth of applicability of the use case(s) for this data element all
Healthcare Aims
  • Improving patient experience of care (quality and/or satisfaction)
  • Improving the health of populations
  • Reducing the cost of care
Maturity of Use and Technical Specifications for Data Element
Applicable Standard(s) American Community Survey
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html
Additional Specifications N/A
Current Use In limited use in production environments
Extent of exchange N/A
Potential Challenges
Restrictions on Standardization (e.g. proprietary code) None
Restrictions on Use (e.g. licensing, user fees) None
Privacy and Security Concerns None
Estimate of Overall Burden Minimal. It is collected in EPIC at the discretion of the user
ASTP Evaluation Details
Each submitted Data Element has been evaluated based on the following criteria. The overall Level classification is a composite of the maturity based on these individual criteria. This information can be used to identify areas that require additional work to raise the overall classification level and consideration for inclusion in future versions of USCDI
Criterion #1
Maturity - Current Standards		 Level 0 - Data element is not represented by a terminology standard or SDO-balloted technical specification or implementation guide.
Criterion #2
Maturity - Current Use 		Level 0 - Data element is captured, stored, or accessed in limited settings such as a pilot or proof of concept demonstration.
Criterion #3
Maturity - Current Exchange		 Level 0 - Data element is electronically exchanged in limited environments, such as connectathons or pilots.
Criterion #4
Use Case(s) - Breadth of Applicability		 Level 0 - Use cases apply to a limited number of care settings or specialties, or data element represents a specialization of other, more general data elements.

Comment

Submitted by nedragarrett_CDC on

CDC comments on Education Level

CDC requests the inclusion of Education Level in USCDI v6.

Justification The process of completing and submitting a death certificate to a vital records office involves both a funeral director as well as a medical certifier. Each of these two entities provide data needed for completion of the death certificate. While the decedent’s education level is typically provided by the funeral director, there are instances in which the information is only available from the medical certifier and hence would be beneficial to have as a core data element within an EHR. Additionally, education level is an important social determinant of health and increasing its availability within the EHR, might improve data quality and thereby, offer additional actionable insights to epidemiologists examining mortality trends. The proposed education level information needed by vital records offices is similar to what has been proposed by Charles Mayo from the University of Michigan but differs in that it would need to include levels for “some secondary or high school” and “some college.” The standard being referenced follows the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey values.  

Sources: U.S. STANDARD CERTIFICATE OF DEATH -- REV. 11/2003 (cdc.gov); Educational Attainment in the United States: 2020 (census.gov) 

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