Forekomst av villet egenskade estimert ved data fra Norsk pasientregister

Abstract

Patient registry is a valuable source for identification of deliberate self-harm (DSH) incidents on a population basis; however, little research has provided sufficient insights to inform best utilization of this complicated data source. In this study using data from the Norwegian Patient Register we delineated a diagnostic coding system to identify incidents of medically treated DSH and to estimate its incidence rate in the population. Data on all emergent contacts for somatic treatment due to external causes during 2008–2013 were retrieved and further processed following a multi-step analytic strategy. Through carefully analysis of 13 533 incidents with a recorded diagnosis of DSH, we devised a diagnostic coding system to identify all possible DSH incidents. This yielded a total of 38 433 incidents to be considered as likely incidents of DSH (adjusted incidents) – a number that is 2.84 times higher than that of the recorded DSH incidents during the study period. These adjusted incidents imply about 6400 DSH incidents from 5100 persons per year and correspond to a yearly cumulative incidence rate of 121.0 per 100000 population over
10 years old. The study underscores that DSH being treated in Norwegian hospitals is a more prominent problem than thought and that Norwegian Patient Registry is an important source for knowledge on the characteristics of DSH incidents and the development of its incidence over time.