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Inj Prev 2006;12:ii28-ii32 doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012443
  • The National Violent Death Reporting System

Using NVDRS data for suicide prevention: promising practices in seven states

  1. V Powell1,
  2. C W Barber2,
  3. H Hedegaard3,
  4. K Hempstead4,
  5. D Hull-Jilly5,
  6. X Shen6,
  7. G E Thorpe7,
  8. M A Weis8
  1. 1Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, USA
  2. 2National Violent Injury Statistics System, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
  3. 3Injury, Suicide and Violence Prevention, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, CO, USA
  4. 4Office of Injury Surveillance and Prevention, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Trenton, NJ, USA
  5. 5Division of Public Health, Section of Injury Prevention and EMS, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Anchorage, AK, USA
  6. 6Injury and Violence Prevention, Oregon Department of Human Services, Portland, OR, USA
  7. 7Center for Preventive Health Services, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, MD, USA
  8. 8Division of Injury and Violence Prevention, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, SC, USA
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr V Powell
 Virginia Department of Health, 400 East Jackson Street, Richmond, VA 23219, USA; virginia.powell{at}vdh.virginia.gov
  • Accepted 31 July 2006

Abstract

Objectives: This article describes how seven states participating in a new public health surveillance system for violent death in the US, the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), have used data to support local suicide prevention activities.

Setting: The NVDRS is unique in that it augments death certificate data with event and circumstance information from death investigation reports filed by coroners, medical examiners, and law enforcement. These data illuminate why the victim ended his or her life, fatal injury patterns, and toxicological findings at death.

Results: Current suicide prevention efforts using these data fall into three categories: describing the problem of suicide and identifying opportunities for intervention; collaborating on statewide suicide prevention plans; and forming new partnerships for targeted prevention initiatives. Taken together, these three areas show early promise for state suicide prevention efforts.

Conclusions: In each of the states, NVDRS data analyses are being shared with injury prevention colleagues, suicide prevention planning groups and policymakers, and adapted to respond to unique state and local suicide problems. A powerful surveillance tool, the NVDRS is bringing new clarity and direction to these state-based efforts. The NVDRS can serve as a model for other countries looking to establish timely suicide surveillance systems and data driven prevention strategies.

Footnotes

  • This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Violent Death Reporting System Grant: VA, U17/CCU322391; CO, U17/CCU823101; NJ, U17/CCU222395; AK, U17/CCU023102; OR, U17/CCU022393; MD, U17/CCU322392; SC, U17/CCU422396.

    The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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