Development of a software package for electronic documentation of orthopaedic x-ray findings.

Proper documentation of x-ray findings, including anatomical location, joint position, arthritis location with severity, fracture patterns, bone changes,changes from joint arthroplasty, and ICD-9 coding,are a vital aspect of the orthopedic surgeons' daily office task. While radiology software is available for certain templated studies, there is little in the way of orthopaedic electronic documentation other than templated "pick-lists" for common findings. The authors developed a software package with line drawings of a selected anatomical area that are color coded to divide individual bones into proximal interarticular,distal inter-articular, and shaft fractures.