Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109401

Nilam Patel, MSPH¹, David Lawrence, MPH, RN, CS¹, and Monique Sheppard, PhD². (1) Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 6475 Alvarado Road, Suite 105, San Diego, CA 92120, (2) Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705, (301) 755-2728, Sheppard@pire.org

Background: From 1979-1998, injury deaths were coded and classified using the ninth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). In 1999, the tenth revision of the ICD (ICD-10) was implemented in the U.S for coding deaths. Subsequently, once familiar E codes were replaced with V, W, X, and Y codes along with *U codes for terrorism-related deaths. The transition in ICD revisions prompted questions about how to interpret injury mortality statistics given the differences in coding injury-related deaths. Methods: The Children's Safety Network in consultation with the National Center for Health Statistics developed a series of fact sheets to disseminate information on the most current changes in the coding and classification of injury mortality data. Although scattered information about these changes is available either online or in various publications, these fact sheets provide a single source of definitions and explanations regarding the changes and the impact they have on reporting injury deaths. Results: The fact sheets should assist agencies that monitor the occurrence of injury-related deaths in their jurisdiction. Implications for trend analyses, the appropriate use of comparability ratios, importance of multiple causes of injury death codes, the injury mortality framework, and other issues are discussed. Conclusions: Information on the cause and intent of an injury is essential for designing effective injury prevention programs. Injury prevention researchers rely upon cause-coded data. Understanding the differences in how data is coded and classified under ICD-10 is crucial for continuation of accurate and timely reporting and interpretation of injury mortality statistics.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the most current changes in the coding and classification of injury deaths under the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).
• Discuss how the changes in coding and classification of injury deaths impact work in the field of injury prevention.
• Provide options on how to proceed with presenting and interpreting injury mortality data given the changes in coding and classification of cause of injury death codes.

Keywords: Data/Surveillance, Injury

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.