title: What happens to my patients? An automated linkage between emergency department and mortality data.
abstract: A simple application linking mortality data from the Bureau of Vital Statistics with data from the emergency department information system is described. This application has been used to supplement the regular mortality review process, identify deaths of patients who left without being seen, and perform outcome studies looking at specified clinical conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. david.maxwell@dal.ca
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maxwell