V4.0 VEMD Injury Surveillance Data

V4.0 1999/2000 VEMD User Manual

INJURY SURVEILLANCE DATA

DESCRIPTION OF INJURY EVENT

Definition: Description of injury event by patient at triage.

Free text field. Maximum of 100 characters.

Description of Injury Event is mandatory if any other Injury Surveillance fields are completed.

The purpose of the field is to clarify the injury event (vital for identifying the interventions) and provide additional information relevant to the injury (product type, brand name, safety precautions, etc).

The narrative of the injury event is very important as it identifies features of the event not revealed by coded data. (National Health Data Dictionary)

Briefly and concisely describe the injury event. For example:

Child opened home bathroom cabinet and ingested 50 ml, Brand X from bottle, CRC.
Victim fell off forklift pallet when fellow worker raised lift, safety boots.
Ball struck face while marking in Australian Rules football competition, mouthguard.

The above examples outline the sequence of events and includes the following items:

Specific location
own home, bathroom
workshop
Australian Rules football ground
Specific activity
playing
working on forklift pallet
playing competition Australian Rules football
Specific product involved where applicable
brand name of medicine, 50 mls
wooden pallet
football
Safety device in use at the time
child resistant close (CRC) on bottle
work boots
mouthguard
Seating position in vehicle where applicable
(not applicable in these examples)

These items can generally be incorporated into a description with the following elements:

How did things go wrong to precipitate the injury sequence (verb).
What (thing or person) went wrong (subject).
How were the injuries caused (verb).
What caused the injuries (subject).

Details of editing.

INJURY CAUSE

Definition: Event, circumstances or condition associated with the occurrence of injury, poisoning or adverse effect.

Up to two numeric character field.

Injury Cause is mandatory if any other Injury Surveillance fields are completed.

Select the first appropriate category.

Code
Injury Cause

1
Motor vehicle - driver

2
Motor vehicle - passenger

3
Motorcycle - driver

4
Motorcycle - passenger

5
Pedal cyclist - rider or passenger

6
Pedestrian

7
Horse related (fall from, struck or bitten by)

8
Other transport-related circumstance

9
Fall - low (same level or <1 metre, or no information on height)

10
Fall - high (>1 metre)

11
Submersion or drowning - swimming pool

12
Submersion or drowning - other

13
Other threat to breathing (includes strangulation, asphyxiation)

14
Fire, flames, smoke

15
Scalds (hot drink, food, water, other fluid, steam, gas or vapour)

16
Contact burn (hot object or substance)

17
Poisoning - medication

18
Poisoning - other or unspecified substance

19
Firearm

20
Cutting, piercing object

21
Dog related

22
Other animal related. Excludes Dog (21), Horse (7)

23
Struck by or collision with person

24
Struck by or collision with object

25
Machinery

26
Electricity

27
Hot conditions (natural origin, includes sunlight)

28
Cold conditions (natural origin)

29
Other specified external cause

30
Unspecified external cause

Details of editing.

HUMAN INTENT

Definition: Most likely role of human intent in occurrence of injury or poisoning as assessed by clinician.

Human Intent is mandatory if any other Injury Surveillance fields are completed.

For this field, the issue is the intent to produce the injury, not the intent to undertake an activity which happened to result in injury.

Select the item which best characterises the role of intent in the occurrence of the injury, on the basis of the information available at the time it is recorded. If two or more categories are judged to be equally appropriate, select the one that comes first in the code set. (National Health Data Dictionary, Version 8.0)

Up to two character numeric field.

Select the first appropriate category.

Code
Most likely human intent in occurrence of injury

1
Accident

2
Intentional self-harm

3
Sexual assault

4
Child neglect, maltreatment by parent, guardian

5
Maltreatment, assault by domestic partner

6
Police, legal intervention or operations of war

7
Assault not otherwise specified

8
Adverse effect or complication of medical or surgical care

9
Intent cannot be determined

10
Other specified intent

11
Intent not specified

Details of editing.

PLACE WHERE INJURY OCCURRED

Definition: Where person was situated when injury occurred.

One character alpha field.

Place Where Injury Occurred is mandatory if any other Injury Surveillance fields are completed.

Select the first appropriate category.

Code Place Includes Excludes

H Home House, farm house, non-institutional place of residence, apartment, boarding house, caravan park (resident), private: driveway to home, garage, garden/yard or home, path to home, swimming pool in private house, garden Institutional place of residence (I),
abandoned or derelict house (O),

home under construction and not yet occupied (C)

I Residential institution Children's home, orphanage, home for the sick, nursing home, old people's home, hospice, military camp, reform school, prison Hospital (M)

S School, day care centre, public administration area Building (including adjacent grounds) used by the general public or by a particular group of the public such as:
assembly hall, public hall, church, clubhouse, court house, post office, day care centre, preschool, youth centre, gallery, library, museum, cinema, theatre, opera house, concert hall, dance hall, school (public or private), college, university, institution for higher education
Hospital (M),
recreation area (P),

athletics and sports area (A),

trade or service area (T),

building under construction (C)

M Medical hospital Hospital Hospice, nursing home (I)

P Place for recreation Public park, amusement park Athletics and sports area (A)

A Athletics and sports area Cricket ground, riding school, basketball court, golf course, stadium, skating rink Public park, amusement park (P)

R Road, street or highway Freeway, footpath Private driveway (H)

T Trade or service area Bank, petrol station, supermarket

C Industrial or construction area Any building under construction, industrial yard, workshop, dry dock Mine, quarry, tunnel under construction (Q)

Q Mine or quarry Mine or quarry tunnel under construction

F Farm Farm buildings and land, ranch Farm house (H)

O Other specified place Forest, beach, pond, abandoned or derelict house

U Unspecified place

Details of editing.

ACTIVITY WHEN INJURED

Definition: Activity the patient was engaged in when injured.

Activity When Injured is mandatory if any other Injury Surveillance fields are completed.

This field provides the basis for identifying work-related and sport-related injuries.

Select the code which best characterises the type of activity being undertaken by the person when injured, on the basis of the information available at the time it is recorded. If two or more categories are judged to be equally appropriate, select the one that comes first in the code list. (National Health Data Dictionary, Version 8.0)

One character alpha field.

Select the first appropriate category.

Code Activity Includes Excludes

L Leisure Hobby activities; leisure-time activities with an entertainment element such as being at a cinema, a dance or party; participating in activities of a voluntary organisation

S
Sports Physical exercise with a described functional element such as:
golf, jogging, riding, school athletics, skiing, swimming, trekking, water-skiing

E Education Formal education, learning activities (eg attending school, university)

W
Working for income Paid work for salary, bonus and other types of income; transportation (time) to and from such activities Voluntary work (L)

C Other work Unpaid domestic duties such as:
caring for children and relatives, cleaning, gardening, household maintenance.

Other duties for which income is not gained (eg unpaid work in family business)
Voluntary work (L)

N Being nursed, cared for Care of infant by parent, patient by nurse

V Vital activity, resting, sleeping, eating Personal hygiene, other personal activity

O
Other specified activity

U
Un-specified activity

Details of editing.

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Code	Injury Cause
1	Motor vehicle - driver
2	Motor vehicle - passenger
3	Motorcycle - driver
4	Motorcycle - passenger
5	Pedal cyclist - rider or passenger
6	Pedestrian
7	Horse related (fall from, struck or bitten by)
8	Other transport-related circumstance
9	Fall - low (same level or <1 metre, or no information on height)
10	Fall - high (>1 metre)
11	Submersion or drowning - swimming pool
12	Submersion or drowning - other
13	Other threat to breathing (includes strangulation, asphyxiation)
14	Fire, flames, smoke
15	Scalds (hot drink, food, water, other fluid, steam, gas or vapour)
16	Contact burn (hot object or substance)
17	Poisoning - medication
18	Poisoning - other or unspecified substance
19	Firearm
20	Cutting, piercing object
21	Dog related
22	Other animal related. Excludes Dog (21), Horse (7)
23	Struck by or collision with person
24	Struck by or collision with object
25	Machinery
26	Electricity
27	Hot conditions (natural origin, includes sunlight)
28	Cold conditions (natural origin)
29	Other specified external cause
30	Unspecified external cause

Code	Most likely human intent in occurrence of injury
1	Accident
2	Intentional self-harm
3	Sexual assault
4	Child neglect, maltreatment by parent, guardian
5	Maltreatment, assault by domestic partner
6	Police, legal intervention or operations of war
7	Assault not otherwise specified
8	Adverse effect or complication of medical or surgical care
9	Intent cannot be determined
10	Other specified intent
11	Intent not specified

Code	Place	Includes	Excludes
H	Home	House, farm house, non-institutional place of residence, apartment, boarding house, caravan park (resident), private: driveway to home, garage, garden/yard or home, path to home, swimming pool in private house, garden	Institutional place of residence (I), abandoned or derelict house (O), home under construction and not yet occupied (C)
I	Residential institution	Children's home, orphanage, home for the sick, nursing home, old people's home, hospice, military camp, reform school, prison	Hospital (M)
S	School, day care centre, public administration area	Building (including adjacent grounds) used by the general public or by a particular group of the public such as: assembly hall, public hall, church, clubhouse, court house, post office, day care centre, preschool, youth centre, gallery, library, museum, cinema, theatre, opera house, concert hall, dance hall, school (public or private), college, university, institution for higher education	Hospital (M), recreation area (P), athletics and sports area (A), trade or service area (T), building under construction (C)
M	Medical hospital	Hospital	Hospice, nursing home (I)
P	Place for recreation	Public park, amusement park	Athletics and sports area (A)
A	Athletics and sports area	Cricket ground, riding school, basketball court, golf course, stadium, skating rink	Public park, amusement park (P)
R	Road, street or highway	Freeway, footpath	Private driveway (H)
T	Trade or service area	Bank, petrol station, supermarket
C	Industrial or construction area	Any building under construction, industrial yard, workshop, dry dock	Mine, quarry, tunnel under construction (Q)
Q	Mine or quarry	Mine or quarry tunnel under construction
F	Farm	Farm buildings and land, ranch	Farm house (H)
O	Other specified place	Forest, beach, pond, abandoned or derelict house
U	Unspecified place

Code	Activity	Includes	Excludes
L	Leisure	Hobby activities; leisure-time activities with an entertainment element such as being at a cinema, a dance or party; participating in activities of a voluntary organisation
S	Sports	Physical exercise with a described functional element such as: golf, jogging, riding, school athletics, skiing, swimming, trekking, water-skiing
E	Education	Formal education, learning activities (eg attending school, university)
W	Working for income	Paid work for salary, bonus and other types of income; transportation (time) to and from such activities	Voluntary work (L)
C	Other work	Unpaid domestic duties such as: caring for children and relatives, cleaning, gardening, household maintenance. Other duties for which income is not gained (eg unpaid work in family business)	Voluntary work (L)
N	Being nursed, cared for	Care of infant by parent, patient by nurse
V	Vital activity, resting, sleeping, eating	Personal hygiene, other personal activity
O	Other specified activity
U	Un-specified activity