Citation

Kellermann AL, Bartolomeos KK. Am. J. Prev. Med. 1998; 15(Suppl 3): 109-112.

Affiliation

Center for Injury Control, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00061-0

PMID

9791630

Abstract

Public health surveillance seeks answers to five questions: who, what, when, where, and why? For most health events, answers can be readily obtained from the patient’s medical record. Injuries are a different story. Medical records are generally adequate for telling us who was injured, what type of injury was sustained, and when the injury occurred. Unfortunately, the medical record is less useful for telling us where the injury took place, and most importantly, why. This is particularly true of injuries caused by firearms.

© 1998 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.