Functional Impairment in Individuals Exposed to Violence Based on Electronical Forensic Medical Record Mining and Their Profile Identification: Controlled Observational Study

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about the functional consequences of violence when directly assessed as a primary outcome, and even less about how consistently these consequences are evaluated in a judicial context. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the importance of a functional approach to health in 2001 with the release of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). In most European countries, forensic physicians assess individuals exposed to violence to evaluate the outcomes of violence, providing certified medical evidence for magistrates’ sentencing decisions. This evaluation involves a mix of objective, subjective, and contextual elements, such as reported symptoms of fear, pain, and details of the assault. Quantifying these subjective elements with scales could enhance their interpretation and application in a judicial context. ObjectiveThis study aims to (1) characterize and (2) assess 6 scales measuring subjective elements of functional impairment among individuals exposed to violence. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study that included individuals exposed to violence examined in a French department of forensic medicine over 12 months. A typology of violence encountered in medical settings was built based on the mining of electronic health records and the use of pattern recognition algorithms. The optimal number of violence types was determined using a robust and stable clustering approach, involving sample resampling and a multimetric scheme. Patients were then paired according to their homogeneous profiles, and the intra- and interrater reproducibility of the scales was evaluated. ResultsAll pain, fear, and life threat scales were significantly associated with higher functional impairment, suggesting that these measures contribute to the overall assessment of functional impairment. The intra- and interrater reproducibility of scales among similar situations of violence was measured, ranging from mild to good, with coefficients of concordance between 0.46-0.66 and 0.43-0.66, respectively. Individuals reporting intimate partner violence showed higher scores in both fear and perception of a life threat during the assault and medical interview, while individuals reporting battery by multiple unknown assailants presented higher scores only in perception of a life threat during the assault. We identified 5 remarkably stable profiles of situations of violence, consistent with clinical practice. ConclusionsPain, fear, and life threat scales were related to functional impairment according to expert knowledge and demonstrated fair reproducibility under real-life conditions for similar situations of violence. Subjective elements related to functional impairment in individuals exposed to violence can be quantified using Likert scales during medical interviews.