[Reliability of the diagnoses of hospital admissions for external causes financed by the Brazilian Unified Health System-SUS in two cities in the State of Paraná, Brazil].

The scope of this article is to analyze the reliability of the diagnoses of hospital admissions for external causes financed by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). The diagnoses for hospital admissions from the Hospital Information System (SIH-SUS) data were compared with those from the research panel created from information culled from authorizations for hospital admission (AIH) complemented with information from other sources. The reliability was analyzed in groups using crude agreement and Kappa statistics.

Elderly victims of falls seen by prehospital care: gender differences.

Objective: To identify elderly who are victims of falls, according to gender, who received care from prehospital services of Maringá, Paraná.

Methods: A cross-sectional exploratory study carried out with 1,444 elderly patients who suffered falls in Maringá in the period from 2006 to 2008. Data were gathered from prehospital care services, typed and processed using the Epi Info 6.

Factors associated with road accidents among Brazilian motorcycle couriers.

The objective of the study was to identify factors associated with reports of road accidents, among motorcycle couriers in two medium-sized municipalities in southern Brazil. A self-administered questionnaire was answered by motorcycle couriers that had worked for at least 12 months in this profession. The outcomes analyzed were reports on accidents and serious accidents over the 12 months prior to the survey.

[Motorcycle couriers: characteristics of traffic accidents in southern Brazil].

Objective: This study aimed at understanding characteristics of traffic accidents with motorcycle couriers in the cities of Londrina and Maringá, in the State of Paraná (Brazil).

Methods: A total of 327 couriers who reported, in 2005/2006, motorcycle accident in the previous 12 months took part in the study (147 in Londrina and 180 in Maringá).

Results: Of all the interviewed, 39.

Quality of external-cause data in the Hospitalization Information System.

Objective: To analyze the coverage and quality of the data on hospitalizations due to external causes in the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian National Health System.

Methods: Hospitalizations recorded in the Hospital Information System of 11 hospitals in two municipalities (Londrina and Maringá, Southern Brazil), in 2004, were compared with hospitalizations identified as consequences of external causes through investigating medical records, complemented with mortality and pre-hospital data. The crude agreement rate, sensitivity and positive predictive value were calculated.

[Work profile and traffic accidents among motorcycle couriers in two medium-sized cities in the State of Paraná, Brazil].

This cross-sectional study focused on motorcycle couriers (work profile, work conditions, and traffic accidents) in Londrina and Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil. Data were collected from self-completed questionnaires in 2005-2006. In Londrina and Maringá, respectively, 377 and 500 motorcycle couriers completed the questionnaire, with mean ages of 28 and 29 years.