Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Automated coding of injuries from autopsy reports

L Riddick1, W B Long, W S Copes

  • 1Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Mobile, USA.

The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
|October 6, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Medical examiner data captures crucial information on trauma victims who die before reaching the hospital. An expert system successfully coded autopsy data, improving trauma registry completeness and accuracy for better public health evaluations.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Physical and chemical injury as causes of sudden cardiac death: the forensic forum.

Cardiovascular pathology : the official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology·2015
Same author

Biomechanical rationale and evaluation of an implant system for rib fracture fixation.

European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society·2011
Same author

Operative stabilization of flail chest injuries: review of literature and fixation options.

European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society·2011
Same author

A comparative cytogenetic study of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) autotetraploid restorers and hybrids.

Genetika·2009
Same author

Killing the canary: the international epidemiology of the homicide of media workers.

Journal of epidemiology and community health·2008
Same author

Revolutionary advances in organic foods.

Internal and emergency medicine·2007

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Pathology
  • Public Health
  • Medical Informatics

Background:

  • Trauma registries are vital for assessing community injuries and emergency medical systems.
  • Current registries are incomplete, excluding victims who die at the scene or in transit.
  • This exclusion omits data from approximately 50% of trauma fatalities, leading to inaccurate evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and pilot an expert computer system for abstracting data from medical examiner reports.
  • To integrate previously inaccessible data from non-hospitalized trauma victims into trauma registries.
  • To demonstrate the feasibility of improving the accuracy and completeness of trauma data.

Main Methods:

  • An expert system was developed to code injury descriptions from autopsy reports.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data were abstracted from 50 consecutive non-hospitalized fatal trauma cases in Mobile County, Alabama.
  • Injury descriptions were coded using International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS-90).

    • Main Results:

    • The expert system successfully coded all injury descriptions from the autopsy reports.
    • The system was able to request and receive clarifying information when needed, all available in medical records.
    • This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of accurately and consistently coding data from deceased trauma victims.

    Conclusions:

    • Medical examiner data can significantly enhance the completeness of trauma registries.
    • Utilizing an expert system provides a feasible method for accessing and coding this vital information.
    • Improved trauma data accuracy is essential for effective injury prevention and resource allocation.