The international classification of diseases codes for describing injuries and the circumstances surrounding injuries: A critical comment and suggestions for improvement

Abstract

The International Classification of Diseases codes for describing injuries and the circumstances surrounding injuries are reviewed. Several inadequacies in both classification systems are identified. In the former, many of the inadequacies are a direct result of the integral coding system and it is suggested that a modular coding system would be superior. In the latter, the inadequacies are largely a result of a single code attempting to cover a variety of facets of the circumstances surrounding injury. The adoption of a variety of codes would overcome this shortcoming. © 1982.