Firearm-related fatality surveillance in Hartford County, Connecticut.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of implementing a firearm fatality surveillance system in Hartford County, Connecticut. METHODS: Medical examiner, police, and crime lab data were collected for firearm deaths occurring in Hartford County during 1997. Data included characteristics of victims, suspects, and firearms. We used standard criteria for evaluating an epidemiological surveillance system. RESULTS: The surveillance system detected 52 firearm-related fatalities; 31 were suicides and 21 were homicides. Handguns accounted for 50% of the suicides and 72% of the homicides. Sensitivity was 96%, specificity was 100%, representativeness adequate, simplicity enhanced by a common case identifier, flexibility constrained by the use of existing data, timeliness varied by data source, and system acceptable to all data sources. Estimated statewide cost is $200 per case, or $52,000 per year. CONCLUSION: Firearm injury surveillance in Hartford County is feasible and expansion to statewide coverage possible. The surveillance yielded considerable data at reasonable costs.