E-codes and Injury Surveillance Data Systems

Revised and approved by the ACEP Board of Directors titled, E-codes and Injury Surveillance Data Systems June 2010
Reaffirmed October 1998 and September 2003 by ACEP Board of Directors
Originated as Council Resolution CR016 and approved by the ACEP Board of Directors titled, E-Codes September 1990

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) supports the development of adequate injury data and surveillance systems, including external-cause-of-injury codes (E-codes), Crash Outcomes Data Element System (CODES), and National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) in all 50 states.

E-codes provide vital information for understanding the burden of injuries in the United States. Improving standardized collection of E-codes in centralized morbidity data systems allows for improved data on injury epidemiology and more opportunities for data linkage with systems such as CODES and NVDRS. This information is invaluable for setting priorities and developing, implementing, and evaluating injury prevention and policy efforts.

Additionally, ACEP supports:
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) efforts to incorporate E-coding data element standards for fully integrated collection and extraction of quality E-code information from electronic health records.

• Collaboration with other organizations and federal agencies and participate in E-code guidelines and standards discussions relating to emergency department (ED) E-codes quality, completeness, accuracy, and specificity.

• The use of quality E-codes in the development and assessment of evidence-based injury prevention programs and policies.

• Efforts to develop: a) a central repository to share E-code data; b) E-code linkages of appropriate additional data sets; and c) a user-friendly query system for ED and hospital discharge data.