HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lunetta, P Articles by Sajantila, A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lunetta, P Articles by Sajantila, A

Drowning in Finland: "external cause" and "injury" codes

Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland

Correspondence to:
Dr Philippe Lunetta,PL 40 Kytösuontie 11, 00300 Helsinki, Finland;
philippe.lunetta{at}helsinki.fi

Background: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) external codes (E codes) for drowning assist in determining the primary event leading to drowning, but do not alone allow the precise determination of the overall drowning rates.

Aims: To analyze the sensitivity of the ICD E codes for drowning. To describe the pattern and trend of drowning deaths that are classified with E codes other than for drowning.

Setting: Finland, 1969–2000.

Methods: Mortality files of Statistics Finland were searched electronically using the injury codes (I codes) and E codes for drowning. Cross analysis of I and E coded drownings was performed to determine the rate and pattern of drowning cases classified with E codes other than for drowning. Time trends were calculated using the Poisson regression model.

Results: Of 13 705 drowning deaths, 644 (4.7%) were not identified with the E codes for drowning. The great majority (n=547, 84.9%) of these cases were traffic accidents resulting in drowning. No significant time trends were found even after the introduction, in 1996, of the ICD 10th revision.

Conclusions: In Finland, underestimation of overall drowning rates using the E code alone is less pronounced than in countries where similar studies have been performed. The relatively high rate of transport accidents resulting in drowning indicates a specific target for preventive countermeasures.

Keywords: drowning; external cause of death codes

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; E codes, external codes; I codes, injury codes; ICD, International Classification of Diseases

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. Scott Drowning prevention and knowledge transfer Inj. Prev., August 1, 2007; 13(4): 218 - 219. [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Lunetta, G. S Smith, A. Penttila, and A. Sajantila Unintentional drowning in Finland 1970-2000: a population-based study Int. J. Epidemiol., October 1, 2004; 33(5): 1053 - 1063. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Hygieia J Epidemiol Community Health, July 1, 2004; 58(7): 628 - 628. [Full Text] [PDF]