Br Med J. 1978 Oct 14;2(6144):1061-2. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6144.1061.
The Medical Services Study Group has started a collaborative study in the Mersey, West Midlands, and Grampian regions to examine the causes of death among medical inpatients aged 1 to 50. The cause of death is determined from the case notes and the consultant's opinion. The rate of ascertainment of cases was initially low, though it is increasing; despite this limitation an analysis of the first 250 cases showed one important finding. No fewer than 98 patients contributed to their own deaths through overeating, drinking, smoking, or not complying with treatment. Despite the present statistical limitations of the study, it has been valuable in enlisting the good will of the participating physicians, which will help to ensure the success of other projects, and it has avoided the problems inherent in determining the cause of death from death certificates alone.
医疗服务研究小组已在默西、西米德兰兹和格兰扁地区开展了一项合作研究，以调查1至50岁住院患者的死亡原因。死亡原因根据病例记录和会诊医生的意见来确定。病例确诊率起初较低，不过目前正在上升；尽管有此局限，但对首批250例病例的分析有一项重要发现。多达98名患者因暴饮暴食、酗酒、吸烟或不遵医嘱而导致自身死亡。尽管该研究目前存在统计方面的局限，但它在争取参与研究的医生的善意方面很有价值，这将有助于确保其他项目的成功，而且它避免了仅从死亡证明来确定死亡原因所固有的问题。
