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. 2016 Apr;22 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i6-11.
doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041819. Epub 2015 Dec 30.

The National Violent Death Reporting System: overview and future directions

Janet M Blair  1 , Katherine A Fowler  1 , Shane P D Jack  1 , Alexander E Crosby  1
Affiliations

The National Violent Death Reporting System: overview and future directions

Janet M Blair et al. Inj Prev. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To describe the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). This is a surveillance system for monitoring the occurrence of homicides, suicides, unintentional firearm deaths, deaths of undetermined intent, and deaths from legal intervention (excluding legal executions) in the US.

Design: This report provides information about the history, scope, data variables, processes, utility, limitations, and future directions of the NVDRS.

Results: The NVDRS currently operates in 32 states, with the goal of future expansion to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories. The system uses existing primary data sources (death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, and law enforcement reports), and links them together to provide a comprehensive picture of the circumstances surrounding violent deaths.

Conclusions: This report provides an overview of the NVDRS including a description of the system, discussion of its expanded capability, the use of new technologies as the system has evolved, how the data are being used for violence prevention efforts, and future directions.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
States participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System as of August 2015.
Figure 2
Figure 2
National Violent Death Reporting System information flow. Adapted with permission from BMJ Publishing Group Limited. The National Violent Death Reporting System: an exciting new tool for public surveillance. Steenkamp M, Frazier L, Lipskiy N, DeBerry M, Thomas S, Barker L, Karch D. Injury Prevention. 12(Supp 2):ii3–ii5. 2006. VDRS, Violent Death Reporting System; NVDRS, National Violent Death Reporting System; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Items in gray boxes denote required NVDRS data sources.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scope of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).
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References

    1. World Health Organization. Global status report on violence prevention 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
    1. World Health Organization. Preventing suicide: a global imperative. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm (accessed Aug 2015)
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm (accessed Aug 2015)
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online] National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC); 2013. (producer). http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html.

MeSH terms