National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), Outpatient Department Visit Data
Medical information about patient visits includes up to three reasons for the visit as expressed by the patient, up to three physician diagnoses, checklists of diagnostic/screening services and procedures ordered or provided, and up to six medications that were either ordered, supplied, administered, or continued at the visit. Diagnoses are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Reasons for the visit and medications are coded using classification systems developed by NCHS.
Injury-specific elements vary by year. For 2001-02, injury-specific elements included up to three causes of the injury in the form of verbatim text that was also coded to ICD-9-CM external cause of injury codes.
Beginning with data year 2005 neither the NAMCS nor the NHAMCS-Outpatient Department will be collecting mechanism of injury. Intent will be available from a check box item.
The data collection instrument for this survey is a one-page questionnaire called the Patient Record Form.
Recent NCHS Publications Using NHAMCS Injury Data:
National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2004 Outpatient Department Summary
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States.
Injury - Number and percent for injury-related outpatient department visits by intent and mechanism, injury counseling/education services ordered or provided.
Recent NHAMCS publications available online
Public-use micro-data files may be downloaded in ASCII format. These files generally require the use of statistical software such as SAS, SPSS, or Stata to read the data. Downloadable data files and documentation are available for all survey years (1992-2002). Downloadable files for 1995-2002 include masked design variables needed for variance estimation software as well as SAS input, label, and format statements. Similar enhancements will be made to earlier years of data as staff resources permit. Stata and SPSS program statements will be available for 2002 data.
Public-use data are also available on CD-ROM in Statistical Export and Tabulation Software (SETS) format. The CD-ROM version of the NHAMCS public-use files is accessed via SETS retrieval software included on the CD-ROM. SETS was developed by NCHS and uses a menu-driven system to generate user-defined tables. NHAMCS CD-ROMs contain single years of data. They are currently available for 1992-2002. Public-use data tapes are also available for all survey years through 1997. CD-ROMs and tapes can be obtained by contacting: e-mail: SSchappert@cdc.gov
The Barell Matrix is a two-dimensional array of three-, four-, and five-digit ICD-9-CM injury codes grouped by the body region of the injury and the nature of the injury and was developed by the International Collaborative Effort on Injury Statistics
Linda McCaig
Phone: (301) 458-4365
E-mail: lmccaig@cdc.gov
Special Projects Branch
Office of Analysis and Epidemiology
NCHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mailstop P08
nchsinjury@cdc.gov
National Center for Health
Statistics
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Hyattsville, MD 20782
Phone:
1-800-232-4636
nchsquery@cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A
Tel: (404) 639-3311 / Public Inquiries: (404) 639-3534 / (800) 311-3435