RELEASE NOTES - CCPS MKB VERSION 2000/07

	Decision Support Unit
4 — th Floor AMP Place, 10 Eagle St Brisbane			2 — nd Floor Blackburn House, 199 Grenfell St Adelaide
		SOP Bulletin No.39

31 July 2000

Version 2000/07 of the Medical Knowledge Base for CCPS was released into production today.  This Bulletin provides a summary of the amended SOP that this version of CCPS incorporates.  This Bulletin also details changes to some existing rulebases and commentary.

New SOPs incorporated into CCPS	NIL
SOP amendments incorporated into CCPS	Haemorrhoids
Enhancements of CCPS rulebases and commentary	Alcohol reasons paragraphs Hypertension Malignant neoplasm of the lung Medical reports Peptic ulcer disease Spondyloses Osteoarthrosis Tinnitus Next release
Additional amendments - not noteworthy	NIL

New SOPs incorporated into CCPS

NIL

SOP amendments incorporated into CCPS

Haemorrhoids

• Instruments No 13 & 14 gazetted on 21.6.00 have been incorporated.  These added 3 new factors and introduced a time limit for the above line factor Straining at stool due to constipation or diarrhoea.
• For information about the SOP see SOP Bulletin No. 37, 19 June 2000.

Enhancements of CCPS rulebases and commentary

Alcohol reasons paragraphs

• The reasons paragraphs for the alcohol factor have been simplified in 13 conditions.  Details of the quantities of alcohol specified in the relevant SOPs now appear only in the Attachment to the Reasons.

Hypertension

• The ingesting salt supplements factor has been moved to 'below-line' as it has not been a common contention.  This action will prevent a detailed reasons paragraph being generated in those cases where there is no evidence that the factor applies.

Malignant neoplasm of the lung

• The rulebase re exposure to respirable asbestos fibres has been corrected so that the substantive requirements for exposure during eligible service are the same as during operational service.  (Previously the eligible service veteran was required to do the applying, removing, dislodging, cutting or drilling of respirable asbestos fibres; now he or she just has to have been present in an enclosed area when the cutting, drilling etc occurred.)
• The Hotword Asbestos exposure during service has been revamped.

Medical reports

• One of the requests brought up in the CCPS users survey was the inclusion of the disease onset date in Medical and Diagnostic reports.  This will be done progressively.  Medical reports for the following conditions have had this change implemented:

•     g — out
•     sensorineural hearing loss
•     spondyloses
•     alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse
•     chondromalacia patellae
•     carotid arterial disease
•     cerebrovascular accident
•     tinnitus

• Questions re worsening have also been included for those factors that refer to aggravation.  These questions will be suppressed automatically if aggravation is not a consideration for the case (eg if it is recorded on the Onset screen that the onset of the disease was after the end of service).

Peptic ulcer disease

• There are some minor changes to commentary and reasons and Medical Report as outlined in the recent Monitoring Report on this disease.  NSAIDs and aspirin factors have been placed below line.

Spondyloses

• In the trauma contention for each of the 3 spondyloses (cervical/thoracic/lumbar) the rulebase has been revised so that the first question asks about trauma to the relevant part of the spine that caused the development of symptoms as defined in the SOP.  The more general question 'Did the veteran suffer a trauma to the cervical spine (or thoracic spine/lumbar spine) at some time' has been removed.

Osteoarthrosis

• The rulebase for the trauma contention in osteoarthrosis has been changed so that the first question asks about trauma to the relevant joint that caused the development of symptoms as defined in the SOP.  The more general question 'Did the veteran suffer a trauma to the relevant joint at some time' has been removed.

Tinnitus

• The questionnaires (claimant and medical) dealing with acoustic trauma have been revised to include a question about whether or not there was permanent or temporary hearing loss at the time of the acoustic trauma.  The diagnostic protocol has been revised to clarify the relationship between tinnitus and hearing loss.

Changes to fracture to be included in next MKB release

• The trauma rules for Fracture are to be streamlined so they are more appropriate to the most common claims – injuries suffered by defence members.  To enable work to commence on these changes, which are to be included in the next MKB release of CCPS, the rulebase for Fracture has been temporarily withdrawn.

Remember! If you are having any problems with SOPs, or SOPs in CCPS, talk to us!