An assessment of potential injury surveillance data sources in Alaska using an emerging problem: all-terrain vehicle-associated injuries.

Using injuries associated with three-wheeled all-terrain vehicles in Alaska as an example, the existing injury data bases were assessed for usefulness, cost, simplicity, acceptability, flexibility, sensitivity, specificity, representativeness, and timeliness. In this study strengths and weaknesses of existing data for all-terrain vehicles were identified and ways to improve data collection and linkages across data systems are suggested. Based on this evaluation, linked death certificates and medical examiner data provide an excellent mechanism for monitoring vehicle-related fatalities. Information sources for nonfatal and nonvehicle-related injuries require further development. Police records provide supplemental information, but they are limited to the events reported to police. Although other sources were explored, they added no advantage to the primary sources. Data processing, analysis, and dissemination--traditional responsibilities for public health and other governmental agencies--can transform these data sources into meaningful mechanisms to define injury trends and monitor injury-specific intervention strategies.