A Regression Like Approach to Developing a Severity Index for EMS Patients

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1992

Department

Computing

School

Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering

Abstract

An approach to constructing a severity index for emergency medical services patients with cardiac-related problems is developed. The procedure is based on two linear programming models and produces a set of weights which can be added to estimate the severity of a patient's conditions. A set of patients independent of the set used to derive the weights was ranked with respect to severity by a set of physicians who were also independent of the model development process. The average value for Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient (rho) between a ranking based on the severity weights and the physicians was 0.6897. The average value of rho calculated over all possible pairs of the physician rankings was 0.6859. Thus, the ranking based on the severity weights correlated as well with the physicians rankings as did the physician rankings among themselves.

Publication Title

Computers in Biology and Medicine

Volume

22

Issue

1-2

First Page

123

Last Page

133

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