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Published on: January 20, 2019
Development and validation of a complementary map to enhance the existing 1998 to 2008 Abbreviated Injury Scale map
Cameron S Palmer1, Melanie Franklyn, Christine Read-Allsopp
1Trauma Service, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Australia. cameron.palmer@rch.org.au
Summary
A new mapping tool allows trauma injury data from Abbreviated Injury Scale 1990 Revision Update 98 (AIS98) to be accurately converted to Abbreviated Injury Scale 2005 Update 2008 (AIS08). This enhances trauma population description and data comparability.
Area of Science:
- Trauma registry research
- Injury coding and classification systems
- Public health data analysis
Background:
- Trauma registries commonly use the Abbreviated Injury Scale 1990 Revision Update 98 (AIS98) for injury classification.
- Significant differences exist between AIS98 and the current Abbreviated Injury Scale 2005 Update 2008 (AIS08), hindering data comparison.
- Existing AIS08 mapping tools are incomplete, preventing direct comparison of data across different AIS versions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a complementary mapping tool for converting AIS98 codes to AIS08.
- To evaluate the accuracy of a combined map (existing dictionary map + new tool) using double-coded trauma data.
- To assess the added value of free text descriptions in improving data conversion accuracy.
Main Methods:
- A modified Delphi process involving expert AIS coders was used to establish AIS08 equivalents for AIS98 codes lacking a map.
- A dataset of 109 major trauma patients, double-coded in both AIS98 and AIS08, was utilized for map assessment.
- The enhanced map, with and without free text evaluation, was applied to convert AIS98 data to AIS08 for comparison with directly coded AIS08 data.
Main Results:
- The enhanced map, particularly when supplemented with free text descriptions, demonstrated higher accuracy and agreement with directly coded AIS08 data compared to the existing dictionary map.
- Paired comparisons revealed significant discrepancies between direct coding and the dictionary map.
- No significant differences were found between directly coded AIS08 data and the enhanced map (with or without free text).
Conclusions:
- The developed complementary AIS98 to AIS08 map effectively transforms AIS98 data into AIS08 estimates that are statistically equivalent to directly coded AIS08 data.
- The enhanced map facilitates accurate conversion of trauma population descriptions across different AIS versions.
- Adoption of the enhanced map, utilizing free text descriptions when available, is recommended for dataset conversion.
