Title: Orthopedic injury documentation<br/>Author: Brian Corwell<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/294/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Orthopedic documentation</strong></span></p>
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1) Document location with specificity and laterality.</p>
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2) Document the location with as much specificity as possible</p>
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-Name of specific bone and specific site on bone (Shaft, head, neck, distal, proximal, styloid)</p>
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3) Document fractures as open/closed, displaced vs. non-displaced, routine or delayed healing,</p>
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-Orientation of fractures, such as transverse, oblique, spiral</p>
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- Document intra-articular or extra-articular involvement</p>
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4) For a particular injury, a complete note will include mention of the following</p>
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The joint above (e.g. for shoulder injuries this would be the neck, for hip injuries - the back)</p>
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The joint below</p>
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Motor (e.g. for arm injuries document the distal median, radial and ulnar motor innervation)</p>
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Sensory</p>
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Vascular</p>
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Skin (for all fractures document intact overlying skin esp. when covering with a splint)</p>
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Compartments (a simple mention of compartments are grossly soft/not tense will suffice)</p>
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*Especially relevant for forearm and tib/fib injuries</p>