[External causes of accidents. How do the new registration rules function?]

On January 1, 1987 a new codification system was introduced in Denmark to replace the former E-codification. The function of the codification system was investigated by comparing two parallel registers comprising the same group of patients. During a one-year period from January 1 1987 to December 31 1987, a total of 1,475 patients were admitted to an orthopaedic department. Complete agreement between the two registers was found in 53% of all patients. The result of the investigation stresses the need for careful instruction to those who carry out the registration. The purpose of the registration is that it should be usable in the health care system as an instrument for registration of external causes of injury. The registration should also be a tool for the planning and managing of the resources spent on health services. This purpose is only partly achieved in the present registration.