4.0  Definitions for WISQARS^TM Nonfatal

This help file section provides in-depth definitions of the terms used to represent data elements in WISQARS Nonfatal.  You can access these definitions by topic section (below) or by the report request pages (click on an underlined word to view its definition).

4.1 Definition of Nonfatal Injury

4.2 Definitions for Nonfatal Injury Reports

4.3 Definitions for Leading Causes of Nonfatal Injury Reports

 

4.1 Definition of Nonfatal Injury

 

For this system, a nonfatal injury is bodily harm resulting from severe exposure to an external force or substance (mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical, or radiant) or a submersion
.  This bodily harm can be unintentional or violence-related. 

WISQARS Nonfatal is based on data from hospital emergency departments.  This system did NOT count an emergency department case as a nonfatal injury if  

1. the principal diagnosis was an illness, pain only, psychological harm (such as anxiety or depression) only, contact dermatitis (skin irritation) associated with exposure to consumer products (such as body lotions, detergents, diapers) or plants (e.g., poison ivy), 
2. pain symptoms were indicated in the ED record, but an injury-related diagnosis was NOT specified;
3. the visit was for adverse effects of therapeutic drugs or of surgical and medical care; or 
4. the principal diagnosis was unknown;  
5. the patient died on arrival at the ED or during treatment in the ED.²  

Back to Definitions Menu

Back to Help Menu

 

4.2 Definitions for Nonfatal Injury Reports

This section provides definitions of data elements and specific categories within data elements available from WISQARS nonfatal injury reports. The data elements in the main report options are cause of injury; traffic-relatedness; intent of injury; sex,  age, and disposition of the patient; and year of reporting.   Some of these elements are made up of categories, which also are defined below.  The advanced report options address age groups, age adjusting, advanced statistics, and sorting by race/ethnicity, age, age group, and sex.

Some of these options are made up of subcategories and additional data elements, which also are defined below. 

4.2.1 Data Element: Cause (Mechanism) of Injury

The cause, or mechanism, of injury is the way in which the person sustained the injury; how the person was injured; or the process by which the injury occurred. For this system, the cause of injury is the underlying cause, rather than the direct cause. The underlying cause is what starts the chain of events that leads to an injury. The direct cause is what produces the actual physical harm. The underlying and direct causes can be the same or different. For example, if a person cuts his or her finger with a knife, the cut is both the underlying and direct cause. However, if a child falls and hits his head on a coffee table, the fall is the underlying cause (the action that starts the injury event), and the contact with the table is the direct cause (the action that causes the actual physical harm).

This system uses the underlying cause rather than the direct cause of injury because the underlying cause is more important to prevention efforts. If we can prevent the underlying cause, we can stop the injury from occurring in the first place. In other words, without the underlying cause, there would be no direct cause.  Reporting nonfatal injury data by the underlying cause of injury is consistent with how fatal injury data are reported. This way, users receive comparable fatal and nonfatal injury data for a specific cause (e.g., fall, poisoning, cut/pierce, etc).

Back to Definitions Menu

Back to Help Menu

 

Cause of Injury Categories

BB/pellet gunshot

: A penetrating force injury resulting from a BB, pellet, or other projectile shot from a BB or pellet gun (a compressed air or CO2-powered BB or pellet gun).  This category includes gunshot wound from a BB or pellet rifle or pistol. This category does not include injury caused by a compressed air-powered paint gun or nail gun, which falls in the category "other specified."

Cut/pierce/stab

: Injury resulting from an incision, slash, perforation, or puncture by a pointed or sharp instrument, weapon, or object.  This category does not include injury from being struck by or against a blunt object (such as the side of a night stand) or bite wounds; these injuries fall in the category "struck by/against."