The pyramid of injury: using ecodes to accurately describe the XXXX .

@entity1 @entity341 @entity4968 @entity204 @entity130
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Although much is known about injury-related @entity204 from the use of external cause of injury codes (ecodes) on death certificates, the contribution of @entity130 is unknown, with most information based on estimates from national surveys. Some states mandate ecoding of charts for hospitalized @entity1 , but few require ecode assignment for @entity341 ( @entity341 ) records. Missouri and Nebraska mandated ecoding of @entity341 records in 1993 and 1994, respectively, allowing for a more complete description of injuries in those states. We describe fatal and nonfatal @entity130 in Missouri and Nebraska by using ecodes, with graphic representation in the form of injury pyramids. METHODS: Ecode frequencies for 1996 to 1998 for all injury causes in Missouri and Nebraska were reported directly from their respective health departments. The ecode frequencies were grouped according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ecode matrix for presenting injury and mortality data. RESULTS: During the study period, 13,052 @entity204 , 131,210 hospitalizations, and 1,914,140 @entity341 visits occurred as the result of injury. The most frequent lethal injuries were unintentional motor vehicle crashes (32.3% of total @entity204 ), self-inflicted gunshot wound (13.2%), unintentional falls (11.3%), gunshot wound from an assault (7.7%), and unintentional @entity4968 (4.3%). The leading causes of injury-related hospitalization were unintentional falls (47.8% of total hospitalizations), unintentional motor vehicle crashes (15.5%), self-inflicted @entity4968 (6.5%), and overexertion or strenuous movements (2.4%). Of 1.9 million @entity130 visits, unintentional falls accounted for 24.3%, unintentionally being struck by an object or @entity1 for 14.6%, unintentional motor vehicle crashes for 11.4%, unintentionally being cut or pierced for 10.7%, and overexertion or strenuous movements for 8.5%. CONCLUSION: Ecoding in Missouri and Nebraska provides a comprehensive data retrieval system that allows for a graphic depiction of the @entity130 derived from real @entity1 encounters within specific geographic regions.
