Injuries are a leading cause of death for Americans of all ages, regardless of gender, race or economic status. Millions of Americans are injured each year through unintentional and intentional causes. For many, the injury causes temporary pain and inconvenience, but for some, the injury leads to disability, chronic pain, and a profound change in lifestyle.

Like diseases, injuries are preventable - they do not occur at random. At the Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, we seek to reduce the problem of injury through research, leadership, education, mentorship, and service in our communities.

Injury Data: All Injuries
(Data are for U.S. for the year in parentheses)

Morbidity

Number of medically attended injury and poisoning episodes in the noninstitutionalized population: 24.6 million (2001)

Episodes per 1,000 population: 88.8 (2001)

Source/more data: Summary Health Statistics for the U.S. Population: National Health Interview Survey, 2001

Health care use

Number of visits to office-based physicians: 99.8 million (includes 5.6 million visits for adverse effects of medical treatment) (2001)

Source/more data: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Summary

Number of hospital outpatient department visits: 11.1 million (includes 610,000  visits for adverse effects of medical treatment) (2001)

Source/more data: National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Outpatient Department Summary

Number of emergency department visits: 39.4 million (includes 1.4 million visits for adverse effects of medical treatment) (2001)

Source/more data: National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Emergency Department Summary

Hospital inpatient care

Number of discharges (excludes adverse effects of medical treatment and complications of medical and surgical care): 1.8 million (2001)

Discharges per 10,000 population: 64.2 (2001)

Source: National Hospital Discharge Survey

Mortality

All injury deaths

Number of deaths: 157,078 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 55.2 (2001)

All unintentional injury deaths

Number of deaths: 101,537 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 35.7 (2001) 

All suicides

Number of deaths: 30,622 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 10.8 (2001)

All homicides

Number of deaths: 20,308 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 7.1 (2001)

All motor vehicle traffic deaths

Number of deaths: 42,443 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 14.9 (2001)

All firearm deaths

Number of deaths: 29,573 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 10.4 (2001)

All poisoning deaths

Number of deaths: 22,242 (2001)

Deaths per 100,000 population: 7.8 (2001)

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics website, Fast Stats A to Z, Injury. Obtained from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm.