title: An evaluation of external cause-of-injury codes using hospital records from the Indian Health Service, 1985.
abstract: To evaluate the usefulness of International Classification of Diseases external cause-of-injury and poisoning codes (E codes) for public health surveillance of nonfatal injuries, we analyzed E codes from Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital records. E codes for unknown or unspecified causes were used for 25 percent of records. At two hospitals, 63 percent of E codes assigned by independent coders agreed; another 18 percent matched on general cause-of-injury groups. With uniform guidelines and increased training, E coding could provide a valuable, cost-effective method of quantifying and characterizing severe, nonfatal injuries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Injury Epidemiology and Control, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Colwell
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sniezek
mesh_terms: D006298:Health Services Administration; D006753:Hospital Records; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007198:Indians, North American; D004930:Inuit; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*