@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 1027-1457    Scientific Journal of Forensic Medicine 2018;24(3):193-201

Background
Forensic medicine records are the most important sources of information to perform legal duties and provide services as well as they are the most important tool for data storage and retrieval in the investigation and responding process.
Previous Studies
…[1-9] Various studies show that the process of data storage and retrieval is not in a favorable status in Iran (10). In the study of Dowlatababdy and Shahi, the organizing status of the medical record of the hospitals in Tehran was investigated with an approach on the establishment of electronic health record (EHR) in 2009. The results of the interview show that 63.9% of the centers used different methods of organizing. Whereas the results of the researcher's observation indicate that the different method of organizing has been used in all the centers (11). Study of outpatient information management system status in the hospitals affiliated with the university of medical sciences of Tehran, Iran in 2010 show that 62% of emergency departments and 78% of clinics did not perform any procedure to data organizing within the records (7). …[12-15].The most basic source of information for assessment and taking effective steps to reform and improve the organization is indicator compilation (16). Indicators as criteria make it possible to measure efficiency, effectiveness, and quality in quantitative terms (8). Indicators as criteria make it possible to measure efficiency, effectiveness, and quality in the form of quantitative data (8).
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to develop an essential indicator set for organizing the records of Iranian legal medicine commissions.
Research type
The present research is an applied study.
Research society, place and time
The present study was carried out in the legal medicine organization of Iran in 2016 and 2017.
Sampling method and number
In order to conduct the research, first, the existing status, extensive study of the standards, guidelines and circular, statute of limitations, and the document functions that affected the research environment, were investigated and identified to compiling the necessary indexes for organizing the records of the people, who referred to the department of Tehran legal medicine committee and to examine the existing status. Also, searching in the library resources and Internet databases was performed for identification of the different patterns to compiling indicators and the different patterns for compiling indicators were identified in the two aspects of investigating the data, inside and outside of the records.
Used devices&materials
In the next step, a researcher-made questionnaire was provided to the elite and expert participants (with an academic certificate in forensic science expertise and a bachelor degree in medical records which were selected using the aim-based method) to take their comments through Delphi method. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed through content validity and re-test by experts, respectively. After collecting the returned questionnaires, similar comments were classified and duplicate comments were removed. The average of experts' opinions was calculated using Excel 2010 software and the result of this step as a baseline of the research resulted in a questionnaire extraction for evaluation of the documents and records in two separate quantitative and qualitative axes. The first part of the questionnaire focused on quantitative evaluation of documents and records and checking the completeness of the data recording. In the second part of the questionnaire, the examination of the adequacy and quality of the available data in each of the documents of records, and answering some questions in this area was necessary in order to the qualitative evaluation of the documents and records. After collecting the comments, indicators and evaluation criteria were selected and formulated in the axes of data organizing in and out of the records, and creating electronic document and valuable document scanning were selected and compiled, considering the average of opinions and the results of the descriptive statistics from investigation of the 400 random samples of the records and based on the comments and achieving the results of elites consensus. In order to determination of the retention period of the documents in the commission's records, the documents, papers and sheets in the commission's records were separated into 33 rows and the experts were asked to comment separately on the retention period of each row. After the implementation of the two steps of the Delphi method, the retention period of the documents in the commission's files was determined. In the next step, in order to receive a permit from the national archives council for the possibility of summarization of the commission's records, the subject was investigated in a working meeting with the representatives of the national library and archives of Iran, and a request of destructing permission for stagnant documents of the records of the legal medicine committee department were sent to the national library and archives and it was approved by the national archives council.
Findings by Text
In the axis of data organizing within the records, 15 indicators and 80 evaluating criteria were selected and compiled and in the data organizing of the records, 7 indicators, and 50 evaluation criteria were compiled. As well as in the axis of creating the electronic documents and document scanning the numbers of 5 indicators and 45 evaluation criteria were selected and compiled (Table 1). Concerning the organizing mechanism for creating electronic documents and scanning valuable documents, the extracted evaluation criteria related to the index of administrative method of information retention, prevention of data loss and data change, determination of access and confidentiality level of information of the documents and the records of legal medicine in the scanning operation included the determination of staff activities (Create, edit, delete, view information), determination of precise monitoring on the scan operation and prevention of create possible change in the records, determination of users' access based on access levels, determination of users' confidentiality level for access to the records, determination of users' access for print or save of information and the images of documents and explanation of data security in the scan operation by workgroup (Table 2). A complete schedule for retention of forensic commission documents was obtained by classifying into four general groups (Table 4).
Main comparison to the similar studies
Ajluni in a study entitled evaluation of hospitals of health ministry of Jordan in 2006, concluded that policies formulation and appropriate methods are the basic principles in the medical documents department (17). Tavakoli and Saghaiannejad Esfahani in a study entitled laws and procedures of medical records retention in the selected countries (United States, United Kingdom, and Australia) concluded that in the selective countries the complete and transparent schedule have regulated for retention of patient records and lack of medical record retention schedule has led to the problem for the centers (18).
Suggestions
It is suggested that in the future a similar study be planned in the other specialized areas of the legal medicine and organizing the records be assessed using the indicators.
Limitations
This study had no significant limitations.
Conclusions
The organizing indicators improve the speed and facility of access to the valuable data on the records. Summarization of the records is legally possible with receiving a license issued by the national archives council of Iran.
Acknowledgments
The authors of this article would like to appreciate the manager and colleagues of the legal medicine research center who supported the present study and the others who were companion and guide in this research.
Conflict of interest
There was no conflict of interests.
Ethical Permissions
There was no ethical problem in this research.
Funding Sources
This article is the result of a research project with No. 20733 carried out at the legal medicine research center of Iran.

TABLES and CHARTS

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