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About the National Data
Data
Data Sources: National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), CDC/NCIPC and CPSC; Bridged-race Population Estimates, CDC/NCHS and Census
Baseline: 496.7 emergency department visits for nonfatal physical assault injuries per 100,000 population occurred in 2017
Target: 277.9 per 100,000
Methodology
Methodology notes
A nonfatal physical assault injury is defined as an injury from an act of nonfatal violence where physical force by one or more persons is used with the intent of causing harm, injury, or death to another person or an intentional poisoning by another person. Both confirmed and suspected assaults are included. NEISS uses external cause of injury codes and follows guidelines consistent with coding guidelines in the ICD 9-CM. NEISS coders are given extensive training and report any physical assault injury cases in the emergency department record. A detailed description of the methods for coding nonfatal injuries has been published elsewhere. Rates by race are not reported because multiple race data are not typically available from the emergency department records. Emergency department visit rates are calculated using the new bridged-race postcensal population estimates of the resident population of the United States for the data year involved. Population counts enumerated as of April 1st are used for census years (e.g., 2010). Population estimates as of July 1st are used for all other years. Intercensal population estimates are used in rate calculations for the years between censuses (e.g., 1991–1999, 2001–2009). Please note that postcensal population estimates for years after the last census are updated annually, which means that rates prior to the update may be different.