2023-09-25 Mobility scooter - Response 2
mortality-forum
Hi everyone,
Can anyone suggest coding selections for a fall from a mobility scooter on street, unknown whether sidewalk or road. I did not include injuries as conundrum is battery vs motor and ICD-10 'V' vs 'W'
No collision.
Regards,
John O'Connor
Central Statistics Office, Ireland
Response from Kathy O’Brien, Canada
Hello,
Here at Statistics Canada, we would code it to W05, falls involving wheelchair. The reasoning is that in Volume 3 the indexing in the external causes of injury section is:
Fall, falling (accidental) W19
…
-involving
…
--skateboards(s) W02
--skates (ice)(roller) W02
--skis W02
--table W08
--wheelchair W05
In our opinion a mobility scooter is a type of a wheelchair.
Also, this is further supported by the definitions of transport accidents, in Volume 1. The definition of a pedestrian is:
(e) A pedestrian is any person involved in an accident who was not at the time of the accident riding in or on a motor vehicle, railway train, streetcar or animal-drawn or other vehicle, or on a pedal cycle or animal.
Incl.: person:
· making adjustment to motor of vehicle
· changing tyre of vehicle
· on foot
user of a pedestrian conveyance such as:
· baby carriage
· ice-skates
· perambulator
· push-cart
· push-chair
· roller-skates
· scooter
· skateboard
· skis
· sled
· wheelchair (powered)
As you can see pedestrian conveyances include ice-skates (yes, people in Canada do use ice skating as a form of transportation), roller-skates, skateboard and wheelchair, which the index codes to a W code for fall. The only time it would end up in the transport accident section is if there was a collision between another pedestrian or another vehicle. Therefore, if all you have is fall from mobility scooter, we would code it as a fall from wheelchair, W05.
Kind regards,
Kathy
Response from Lilliana Bernardo, Portugal
Hello,
If I understand the question correctly, for this situation according to the rules we code in V28.
Regards,
Liliana Bernardo
Portugal