Citation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 1995; 44(9): 160-3, 169.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, (in public domain), Publisher U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7870025

Abstract

During 1992, a total of 37,776 firearm-related deaths occurred in the United States, and in 1991, firearm-related deaths were the leading or second leading cause of injury death in 15 states. Because of limitations in data, however, the epidemiology of nonfatal firearm- and other weapon-related injuries has not been well characterized. To improve characterization of these problems, in 1989, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) began a pilot project to develop the first emergency-department-based statewide Weapon-Related Injury Surveillance System (WRISS) in the United States. All 85 hospital emergency departments in Massachusetts (1990 population: 6,016,425) now participate in this system. This report summarizes results from the first 6 months of statewide reporting (November 1993-April 1994), including previously unavailable statewide morbidity data on gunshot and stabbing injuries.