Violence-Related Injuries
                   Treated in Emergency Rooms

In August of 1997, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released a Bulletin entitled Violence-Related Injuries
Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments, which presented findings from a study conducted using the
Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) program of
violence-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments in 1994.  These findings, as reported in
the Bulletin, include the following:

During 1994, U.S. hospital emergency
departments (ED's) treated an estimated 1.4
million people for injuries from confirmed
or suspected interpersonal violence. The
study found that 94 percent of the persons
treated for intentional or possibly intentional
injuries sustained those injuries in an assault. 
About 31 percent of those injured during an
assault -- or 29 percent of all of those
injured -- indicated being injured during a
fight.  Two percent were injured during a
completed or attempted robbery, and 5
percent were injured by an offender during a
completed or attempted rape or sexual
assault.

Three-fifths of all persons treated in ED's
for injuries sustained in violence were male. 
Persons under age 25 comprised about half
of those treated in ED's for violence-related
injuries.

Blacks, who constitute about 13 percent of
the population, represented 24 percent of
those treated for violence-related injuries.

Patients treated as a result of confirmed (1.3
million) or suspected (82,000) violence
represented a total of 1.5 percent of all visits
to hospital ED's and 3.6 percent of the
injury-related ED visits in 1994.

Of all persons treated for violence-related
injuries:  7 percent had been injured by a
spouse or ex-spouse; 10 percent by a current
or former boyfriend or girlfriend; 8 percent
by a parent, child, sibling, or other relative;
23 percent by a friend or acquaintance; and
23 percent by strangers. In almost 30
percent of all cases in the study, the
relationship of the person inflicting the
injury to the patient was not recorded for the
study.

A higher percentage of women than men
were treated for injuries inflicted by an
intimate partner -- a current or former
spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend.  Men were
much more likely than women to be treated
for injuries caused by acquaintances or
strangers.

It is important to note that the estimated
number of persons treated in ED's for
injuries inflicted by intimate partners was 4
times higher than estimates from the
National Crime Victimization Survey.

People injured in violence were treated for a
variety of injuries:  34 percent for bruises or
similar injuries; 31 percent for cuts, stab
wounds, or internal injuries; 17 percent for
fractures, sprains, dislocations, dental
injuries, or other muscular/skeletal injuries;
5 percent for gunshot injuries; 5 percent for
rapes/other sexual assaults; 4 percent for
concussions or other head injuries; and 
5 percent for other injuries.