Final answer:
In the ICD-10 index, words like abandonment and struck by are associated with External cause codes, used to detail the external reasons for health conditions or injuries.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you are referencing words such as abandonment, striking against, kicked by, or knocked out in the index of the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision), you are likely looking for External cause codes. These codes are used to describe the external cause of an injury, poisoning, or another health condition. They are distinct from Z codes (which typically relate to factors influencing health status), operative procedure codes (which deal with surgical procedures), and disease codes (which relate to diseases and medical conditions).
Medical coders and billers use these external cause codes to assign the proper code for procedures performed and process insurance claims, while epidemiologists use them to calculate injury-related statistics.
Two locations where you would likely find an ICD code include medical laboratories (for identifying necessary tests) and the health-care management system (for verifying treatments).