The secrets of the National Violent Death Reporting System

Abstract

How the NVDRS provides a foundation for successful violence prevention In public health, as in the rest of our lives, the value and importance of the things we do are not always readily apparent. Sometimes the things we do hold secrets that, once fully revealed, expand our appreciation of their relevance to our goals and aspirations. Such is the case with the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). On the surface, the NVDRS is a data collection system for violent deaths (that is, homicides and suicides) and in that way is similar to many other surveillance systems that we carry out as part of public health practice. But in reality the NVDRS is much more than it might appear. The NVDRS makes better use of data that are already being collected by health, law enforcement, and social service agencies.1 The NVDRS, in fact, does not require the collection of any new data. Instead it links together information that, when kept in separate compartments, is much less valuable as a tool to characterize and monitor violent deaths. For example, as part of their death investigation, medical examiners and coroners typically gather information on the presence of alcohol and drugs in the blood and tissues of homicide victims. On the other hand, law enforcement agencies, as part of their criminal investigation, gather details of the circumstances under which the homicide occurred, such as whether the homicide was precipitated by an argument or a gang fight or a robbery. By linking these types of information together, we can now determine the circumstances under which homicide victims are most likely to be intoxicated. Combined with information on the location of homicides, this …