Creating value list for International Red Cross Wound Classification System

[GarthT]

Hi I am in the process of creating a database to store records of trauma patients that we look after.

I want to have one layout within my database to classify wounds using the Red Cross wound classification system (see below).

I initially designed something using a series of drop down menus for each variable and then used a calculation based on the chosen variables to calculate the score. This works - but as each patient may have several wound the system is ugly and I am trying to find a better way.

I thought about using pop-up information windows - that give the definitions for the scoring system - but could not find how to do that.

If anyone has any ideas I would be very grateful

cheers

Garth

Wounds are scored after surgery or initial assessment.

E = (Entry) centimetres. Estimate the maximum diameter of the entry.

X = (eXit) centimetres. Estimate the maximum diameter of the exit (X = 0 if no exit).

C = (Cavity) Can the "cavity" of the wound take 2 fingers before surgery? No: C=0, Yes: C=1.

F = (Fracture) No fracture: F=0. Simple fracture, hole or insignificant comminution: F=1. Clinically significant comminution: F=2.

V = (Vital structure) Are brain, viscera (breach of dura, pleura or peritoneum) or major vessels injured? No: V=0. Yes: V=1.

M = (Metallic body) Bullet or fragments visible on X ray. None: M=0. One metallic body: M=1. Multiple metallic bodies: M=2.

[jamesducker]

It sounds like the problem here is that you are trying to do too many things with only one data table.

I would suggest two data tables:

PATIENTS TABLE

fields: unique patient ID*, patient name, date of birth etc (this is probably what you have already got)

PATIENT WOUNDS

fields: unique patient wound ID*, patient ID**, entry, exit, cavity, fracture, vital fracture, metallic body, trauma score (your existing calc field that works out the score for this wound)

* primary key

** foreign key

You then need a relationship between the two, linking patients::unique patient ID with patient wounds::patient ID. Set the relationship to allow creation of new records. Put a portal on your patients layout showing records from this relationship. This will allow multiple wounds per patient.

Then you can set up a calculation field in the patients table called "Total trauma score" which adds the score of each wound together to make a total. The formula would simply be sum(patient wounds::trauma score).

Hope that helps.

[GarthT]

Hello James

thanks for the reply - I had already set up two tables and I was pleased that they were as you have suggested.

What I would ideally like is some way of not having lengthy options in the drop down menus for each field - particularly as each patient may have four or five wounds. I want to avoid having to view, for example, " brain, viscera (breach of dura, pleura or peritoneum) or major vessels injured" - four or five times.

As I said I wondered about having a pop-up window to display the information for each variable so that the end-user could just type in the relevent score, eg. "0" or "1"

Hope this makes sense

thanks

[jamesducker]

I don't see that you'd need to enter the same wound more than once... with my suggestion above you enter the patient, and then one record for every wound they have.

It is on EACH WOUND that you specify an E, X, C, F, V, M score for that one wound.

So you have a patient with two wounds:

Patient name: Simon Jones

Wounds portal:

-- Wound description---- E --- X -- C -- F -- V -- M

Gunshot to upper arm ---- 11 - 20 -- 0 -- 1 -- 1 -- 3

Knife wound to back ----- 4 --- 7 -- 2 -- 1 -- 0 -- 1

--------TOTALS ------ 15 -- 27 -- 2 -- 2 -- 1 -- 4

Does that make sense? Or am I missing the point somewhere?