Injury visits to hospital emergency departments: United States, 1992-95.

Objectives: This report describes ambulatory care visits for injuries to hospital emergency departments in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected patient, hospital, and visit characteristics.

Methods: The data presented in this report were collected in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) over a period of 4 years from 1992 through 1995. The NHAMCS is a national probability survey of visits to hospital emergency and outpatient departments of non-Federal, short-stay, and general hospitals in the United States. Sample data were combined across years and weighted to produce annual estimates.

Results: From 1992 through 1995, an estimated 147 million visits for injuries were made to hospital emergency departments in the United States, an average of 36.8 million visits per year with an annual utilization rate of 14.3 visits per 100 persons. Persons 15-24 years had a higher rate of injury-related emergency department visits compared with other age groups. The injury visit rate was higher in the Midwest than in the South or West. Injury visits represented 37.8 percent of all visits to hospital emergency departments but 53.5 percent of all visits for children between 5 and 14 years and 48.5 percent of all visits for persons 15-24 years. Open wounds accounted for the largest proportion of injuries (22.0 percent). The leading external causes of injuries included falls, being struck by or striking against a person or object, and motor vehicle traffic injuries. For all ages, 6.3 percent of the injury visits had a disposition of admission for inpatient care, while almost one-quarter of injury visits by persons 65 years and over resulted in hospitalization. ED visits caused by poisonings or firearm injuries were more likely to result in hospitalization compared with other causes.