Acute myocardial infarction in Stockholm--a medical information system as an epidemiological tool.

The objects of the present study were to perform an epidemiological study of acute myocardial infarction in Stockholm County and to investigate and develop the methods by which the medical information system in Stockholm can be used as an epidemiological tool. The possible sources of error were enumerated and their importance assessed. It is concluded that the available routinely collected computer data are useful for estimation of incidence, mortality, and case fatality. Incidence, and case fatality rates are shown to be similar to results from other Swedish studies.