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Identifying and Tracking Gas Suicides in the U.S. Using the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2005-2012.
- Source :
-
American Journal of Preventive Medicine . Nov2016 Supplement 3, Vol. 51, pS219-S225. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2016
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Abstract
- <bold>Introduction: </bold>Identifying the source and specific type of gas used in suicides is difficult using most data systems owing to limitations in ICD-10 coding. The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), with its rich collection of both coded and free-text variables, has the potential to overcome these limitations. This study used a multipronged approach to identify gas-specific suicides in NVDRS and to track the incidence of these suicides over time.<bold>Methods: </bold>Using suicide cases from the 16 NVDRS states that participated throughout 2005-2012, free-text and code searches were conducted for four types of variables-incident narratives, coroner/medical examiner cause-of-death statements, cause-of-death codes, and substance names-to identify suicides by carbon monoxide, helium, hydrogen sulfide, and four other gases. All analyses were conducted in 2015.<bold>Results: </bold>Approximately 4% (3,242 of 80,715) of suicides recorded in NVDRS over the study period were the result of gas inhalation. Of these, the majority (73%) were carbon monoxide suicides (almost exclusively from motor vehicle exhaust and charcoal burning). Other types of gas (most notably helium), once rare, are now more common: At the start of the study period non-carbon monoxide gas suicides represented 15% of all gas suicides; at the end of the study period, they represented 40%.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Public health policies to reduce a suicidal person's access to more lethal suicide methods require a reliable source of surveillance data on specific methods used in suicide. Small changes to NVDRS could make it an efficient and nimble surveillance system for tracking these deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 07493797
- Volume :
- 51
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 118542501
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.08.006