ISIS Codes
Explanation of some codes used in ISIS
The Interdependence of Breakdown, Mechanism and the Factor Codes
At the heart of the multifaceted structure that is the ISIS database, lies the combination of up
to six codes that become interdependent in telling the story of each injury event, viz:-
| Breakdown event |
tells us HOW things went wrong to precipitate the entire accident or injury sequence (VERB) |
|---|
| Breakdown factors |
tell us WHAT (thing or person) went wrong (SUBJECT) |
|---|
| Mechanism |
tells us HOW the injuries were caused (VERB) |
|---|
| Mechanism factors |
tell us WHAT caused the injuries (SUBJECT). Most of the rest of the data relates to the victim (OBJECT) |
|---|
Consider the case of the child who opens mother's handbag, left unattended on the lounge, and,
having opened it, then proceeds to consume the packet of sleeping tablets inside.
| Breakdown event |
tablets left in a dangerous position (Code # 12) |
|---|
| Breakdown factors |
MOTHER! (the tablets didn't go wrong, and both the handbag and the child appear to have operated to normal expectations! (Code # 6503) |
|---|
| Mechanism |
ingestion (Code # 31) |
|---|
| Mechanism factors |
the tablets (Code # 192?) |
|---|
Now consider an almost identical circumstance; just add the information that the tablets were
stored inside an allegedly child-proof container; whilst the Mechanism and mechanism Factors remain
unchanged, the Breakdown event now becomes a product failure and the Breakdown factor is now the
childproof container that wasn't.
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