Doctors May Be Able to Predict Domestic Abuse
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- It may be possible to use a person's electronic medical records to predict the likelihood of domestic abuse years before it actually occurs, according to U.S. researchers.
They analyzed the medical records of more than 500,000 adults that included at least four years of data on hospital admissions and visits to emergency departments. In total, the electronic records included more than 16 million diagnoses.
The researchers developed a scoring system to predict which people were likely to receive a diagnosis of domestic abuse. The system was able to predict future diagnoses of abuse an average of 10 to 30 months in advance, the researchers said.
For women, the risk for future diagnosis of abuse was highest among those treated for injuries, poisoning and alcoholism. Among men, the risk was highest among those treated for mental health conditions such as depression and psychosis.
The researchers also developed a prototype "risk-visualization environment" that offers doctors instant overviews of patients' medical histories and related profiles.
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