Sorting Codes

Eventually, you will have a large number of codes and you may find it necessary to order them or sort them into groups. This step is most similar to ATLAS.ti’s Family Manager. One way to sort or group your code is by using a hierarchy. You may find that several codes group together to form categories. In that case move them together and put them either in a list of their own, or make them sub-codes of a major code.

Non-hierarchical coding (flat coding)

In a non-hierarchical arrangement of codes, a simple list, there are no sub-code levels. A list could take the following form:

Codes:

• Diagnosis
• Prenatal Issues/ medical care during pregnancy
• Testing Issues
• Route of HIV transmission
• Types of Medication
• Medication Adherence
• Motherhood

Hierarchical coding (tree coding)

A hierarchical arrangement of codes, like a tree, consists of a branching arrangement of sub-codes. Ideally, codes in a tree relate to their parents by being ‘examples of…’, or ‘contexts for…’ or ‘causes of…’ or ‘settings for…’ and so on.

Take, for example, the code  “Medication Adherence.” The definition states that both facilitators and barriers to medication adherence should be coded. As we code more data, it may be useful to create sub-codes to describe the variations in Medication Adherence. For example:

• Medication Adherence
  • Facilitators of medication adherence
    • Social Support
    • Technology
  • Barrier to medication adherence
    • Stigma
    • Cost issues
    • To avoid side effects
    • Psychological issues