7.4.2.5 Referrals for Special Procedures/Consultations
Team physicians should continue to be authorized to refer individuals for further evaluation and
treatment as necessary.
7.4.3
Vital Records
A history of mortality and morbidity in the population should be obtained by recording medical
information about each examinee’s relatives and acquaintances. This information should include
questions about causes of any deaths andillnesses occurring since the last examination to augment
existing vital records systems. This is necessary because deaths may occur without medical
attention and autopsies are rarely performed. This and other information obtained from
examinees abouttheir relatives and acquaintances also can assist on tracking individuals for future
follow-up.
7.4.4
Medical Records
Medical record data should be recorded in a standardized format, and the records retained by the
visiting team with copies made available to the medical department of the Republic of the
Marshall Islands. The Department of Energy’s contractor responsible for the medical follow-up of
the population should maintain these records. These should be treated as confidential. The
records should be microfiimed or copied and a duplicate set kept separately from the original
records and retained indefinitely. The records should include illness diagnoses, coded according to
the International Classification of Disease, Clinical Medicine, Ninth Revision (ICD-CM-9).
Causes of death should be coded according to the International Classification of Disease, Adapted
' for use in the U.S., Ninth Revision (ICDA-9).
All information obtained from interviews, laboratory tests, other diagnostic procedures and
examinations should be computerized either on-site or in the U.S., to facilitate subsequent
summarization and description of the data.
7.4.5
Quality Assurance
Data collection forms should be standardized and designed so that interviewers will require
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