Injury event—nature of main injury, non-admitted patient code NN{.N}

Guide for use:

If the full ICD-10-AM code is used to code the injury, this metadata item is not required (see metadata items principal diagnosis and additional diagnosis) When coding to the full ICD-10-AM code is not possible, use this metadata item with the items external cause of injury-non admitted patient, external cause of injury-human intent and bodily location of main injury.

Select the code which best characterises the nature of the injury chiefly responsible for the attendance, on the basis of the information available at the time it is recorded. If two or more categories are judged to be equally appropriate, select the one that comes first in the code list. A major injury, if present, should always be coded rather than a minor injury. If a major injury has been sustained (e.g. a fractured femur), along with one or more minor injuries (e.g. some small abrasions), the major injury should be coded in preference to coding 'multiple injuries'. As a general guide, an injury which, on its own, would be unlikely to have led to the attendance may be regarded as 'minor'.

If the nature of the injury code is 01 to 12 or 26 to 29 then the metadata item Bodily location of main injury should be used to record the bodily location of the injury. If another code is used, bodily location is implicit or meaningless. Bodily location of main injury, category 22 may be used as a filler to indicate that specific body region is not required.

Injury diagnosis is necessary for purposes including epidemiological research, casemix studies and planning. This metadata item together with the metadata item bodily location of the main injury indicates the diagnosis.

This metadata item is related to the ICD-10-AM injury and poisoning classification. However, coding to the full ICD-10-AM injury and poisoning classification (see metadata item principal diagnosis) is not available in most settings where basic injury surveillance is undertaken. This item, in combination with the metadata item Bodily location of main injury, is a practicable alternative. Data coded to the full ICD-10-AM codes can be aggregated to match this item, facilitating data comparison. Further information on the national injury surveillance program can be obtained from the National Injury Surveillance Unit, Flinders University, Adelaide.