The need to enhance the national road accident statistics based on police reports by addition of clinical information on the nature and severity of injury has been recognised for some years. The report describes the development of a computer record matching algorithm using a 100 per cent sample of hospital in-patient records for Scotland for the year 1980. A total of 6093 unique matches were obtained, representing 70 per cent of health records. For these matches the casualty records in the national road accident data files were enhanced by length of stay in hospital together with clinical details of injury in ICD (International Classification of Diseases) and AIS (Abbreviated Injury Scale) forms. Some examples of uses of the matched data set are given. (Author/publisher)
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