ACCURACY OF FATAL MOTORCYCLE INJURY REPORTING ON DEATH CERTIFICATES

Author(s)
LAPIDUS, G HARTFORD HOSPITAL, USA BRADDOCK, M HARTFORD HOSPITAL, USA SCHWARTZ, R HARTFORD HOSPITAL, USA BANCO, L HARTFORD HOSPITAL, USA JACOBS, L HARTFORD HOSPITAL, USA
Year
Abstract

This study identifies differences in motorcycle injury fatality statistics gathered from different sources. Police Accident Reports (PARs), identifying fatal motorcycle injuries occurring in Connecticut during 1987 were matched with state death certificates. Matched death certificates were analyzed in three major areas: content, coding, and motorcycle fatality reporting. Death certificates underreported motorcycle fatalities by 38% compared to PARs. Forty percent of death certificates were missing some or all of the required information: 7 did not include the word motorcycle, 18 did not contain acceptable ICD-9 terminology for a motorcyclist, and 17 did not describe how the injury occurred. Forty-one percent of death certificates contained external cause of injury code (E-code) errors. Incomplete information on death certificates was responsible for 52% of inaccurate reporting and E-code errors for 48%. The accuracy of fatal motorcycle injury cause of death reporting on death certificates could be improved by better physician training and rapid implementation of both the computerized death certificate coding systems and upcoming ICD-10 classification system. (A)

Request publication

5 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.

Publication

Library number
I 866307 IRRD 9409
Source

ACCIDENT ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 1994 /08 E26 4 PAG: 535-42 T

Our collection

This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.