Using the 'presenting problem' field in emergency department data improves the enumeration of intentional self-harm in NSW hospital settings

Hospital data are a key source of timely information on intentional self-harm and the only routinely available source for the surveillance of a national public health priority. However, the extent to which accurate information on intentional self-harm is captured, or coded appropriately, in these data sources may be variable. This is important because, in the absence of a formal register or surveillance system of intentional self-harm, these data sources remain primary sources to evaluate the effectiveness of investments in suicide prevention.