SynthesisHealth research policy and systems2016
The utility of medico-legal databases for public health research: a systematic review of peer-reviewed publications using the National Coronial Information System.
Synthesis in Health research policy and systems, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Gut Microbiota Enterotype as a Predictor of Sarcopenia in the Japanese Elderly Population.Nutrients · 2025Article
- The epidemiology of homicide among older adults: retrospective analysis using data from the Victorian Homicide Register.International journal of legal medicine · 2023Article
- Examining Coroners' Recommendations for Health and Safety Management of Ageing Heavy Vehicle Drivers: A STAMP Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Introductory evidence on data management and practice systems of forensic autopsies in sudden and unnatural deaths: a scoping review.Egyptian journal of forensic sciences · 2022Article
- Circumstances and toxicology of violence-related deaths among young people who have had contact with the youth justice system: a data linkage study.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Factors related to absence of toxicological investigation following fatal injury: a retrospective quantitative review of Coronial records in New Zealand.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2021Article
- Alcohol and other drugs in suicide in Canada: opportunities to support prevention through enhanced monitoring.Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2021Article
- Exploring the burden of fatal drowning and data characteristics in three high income countries: Australia, Canada and New Zealand.BMC public health · 2019Article
- Pattern of intentional drowning mortality: a total population retrospective cohort study in Australia, 2006-2014.BMC public health · 2019Article
- National Coronial Information System: Epidemiology and the Coroner in Australia.Academic forensic pathology · 2017Article
- Public Health, Population Health, and Epidemiology Informatics: Recent Research and Trends in the United States.Yearbook of medical informatics · 2017Review
- Frequency of forensic toxicological analysis in external cause deaths among nursing home residents: an analysis of trends.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedico-legal death investigations are a recognised data source for public health endeavours and its accessibility has increased following the development of electronic data systems. Despite time and cost savings, the strengths and limitations of this method and impact on research findings remain untested. This study examines this issue using the National Coronial Information System (NCIS).
methodsPubMed, ProQuest and Informit were searched to identify publications where the NCIS was used as a data source for research published during the period 2000-2014. A descriptive analysis was performed to describe the frequency and characteristics of the publications identified. A content analysis was performed to identify the nature and impact of strengths and limitations of the NCIS as reported by researchers.
resultsOf the 106 publications included, 30 reported strengths and limitations, 37 reported limitations only, seven reported strengths only and 32 reported neither. The impact of the reported strengths of the NCIS was described in 14 publications, whilst 46 publications discussed the impacts of limitations. The NCIS was reported to be a reliable source of quality, detailed information with comprehensive coverage of deaths of interest, making it a powerful injury surveillance tool. Despite these strengths, researchers reported that open cases and missing information created the potential for selection and reporting biases and may preclude the identification and control of confounders.
conclusionsTo ensure research results are valid and inform health policy, it is essential to consider and seek to overcome the limitations of data sources that may have an impact on results.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.