Demographics of paediatric trauma at a zonal referral hospital for northwestern Tanzania: A cross-sectional study.

BackgroundInjuries continue to be the leading cause of death and disability for children. The is a paucity of published data on paediatric injuries in our local environment. This study describes the etiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of paediatric injuries in our local setting and provides baseline data for establishment of prevention strategies as well as treatment guidelines.MethodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving paediatric injury patients admitted to Bugando Medical Centre from August 2011 to April 2012. Statistical data analysis was done using SPSS version 17.0 and STATA version 12.0.ResultsA total of 150 patients were studied. The age of patients ranged from 1 month to 10 years with a median age of 5 years. The male to female ratio was 2.3:1. Road traffic accident was the most common cause of injury (39.3%) and motorcycle (71.2%) was responsible for the majority of road traffic accidents. Only 11 (7.3%) patients received pre-hospital care. The head /neck (32.7%) and musculoskeletal (28.0%) were the most frequent body region injured. Open wounds (51.4%), foreign bodies (31.3%) and fractures (17.3%) were the most common type of injuries sustained. The majority of patients 84 (56.0%) were treated surgically. Complication rate was 3.9%. The mean duration of hospitalization was 9.7 ± 13.1 days. Mortality rate was 12.7%. Age of the patient (< 5 years), late presentation and presence of complications were the main predictors of length of hospital stay (P < 0.001), whereas burn injuries, severe head injuries and severity of injury (Paediatric trauma score = 0–5) significantly predicted mortality (P < 0.0001).ConclusionPaediatric injuries resulting from road traffic accidents (RTAs) remain a major public health problem in this part of Tanzania. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of RTAs is necessary to reduce the incidence of paediatric injuries in this region.

Preferences for emergency medical service transport after childhood injury: An emergency department-based multi-methods study

Head injury is considered as a major health problem that is a frequent cause of death and disability and makes considerable demands on health services. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the etiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of head injury patients at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) in North-western Tanzania. Data were collected using a pre-tested, coded questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS programme. A total of 260 head injury patients (mean age=26.84 years) were studied. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 1.5:1. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the most common cause of injury accounting for 49.2% of patients. Scalp injuries, cerebral concussion and skull fractures were the most common type of head injuries. Fifty-six (21.5%) patients had associated injuries of which musculoskeletal region (36.1%) was commonly affected. Most of patients (66.1%) sustained mild head injury. The majority of patients (75.8%) were treated conservatively and only 24.2% of patients needed surgical interventions. Most of patients (85.4%) had good recovery. The mean hospital stay (LOS) was 24.56 days and the mortality rate was 11.2%. Patients who had RTAs, penetrating head injuries, associated long bone fractures and those who were treated surgically were found to have significantly longer LOS (P< 0.001). Mortality was found to be significantly associated with extreme of age, presence of pre-morbid illness and associated injuries, admission Glasgow Coma Score < 9, systolic blood pressure < 90mmHg, injury severity core > or =16, longer duration of loss of consciousness, the need for intensive care unit admission and finding of space occupying lesion on computed tomography scan (P < 0.001). Head injuries resulting from RTAs remain a major public health problem in this part of Tanzania. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of RTAs is necessary to reduce the incidence of head injuries in this region.

Objective:This study aimed to estimates Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for pediatric injury patients at a zonal referral hospital.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study using pediatric injury registry data, DALYs for pediatric injured patients was calculated by adding the Years of life lost (YLL) and Years lived with disability (YLD). Discounting rate of 3%, age weighting parameter of 0.04 and Constant 0.1658 were considered during analysis.Results:This study included 1000 pediatric injury patients with median age of 7 years, mostly male 639 (63.9%). Road traffic injuries were the leading cause 341 (34.1%), and 65 (6.5%) died, burns caused 27 (41.6%) of deaths. Pediatric injuries resulted in over 4500 DALYs, with road traffic injuries contributing the most (1650 DALYs).Conclusion:This study reveals the high burden of pediatric injuries, with males contributing most DALYs. Road traffic injuries significantly contribute to disabilities, highlighting the need for child-focused interventions.

BackgroundRoad traffic crash is of growing public health importance worldwide contributing significantly to the global disease burden. There is paucity of published data on road traffic crashes in our local environment. This study was carried out to describe the injury characteristics and outcome of road traffic crash victims in our local setting and provide baseline data for establishment of prevention strategies as well as treatment protocols.MethodsThis was a prospective hospital based study of road traffic crash victims carried out at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania between March 2010 and February 2011. After informed consent to participate in the study, all patients were consecutively enrolled into the study. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS computer software version 15.0.ResultsA total of 1678 road traffic crash victims were studied. Their male to female ratio was of 2.1:1. The patients ages ranged from 3 to 78 years with the mean and median of 29.45 (± 24.22) and 26.12 years respectively. The modal age group was 21-30 years, accounting for 52.1% patients. Students (58.8%) and businessmen (35.9%) were the majority of road traffic crash victims. Motorcycle (58.8%) was responsible for the majority of road traffic crashes. Musculoskeletal (60.5%) and the head (52.1%) were the most common body region injured. Open wounds (65.9%) and fractures (26.3%) were the most common type of injuries sustained. The majority of patients (80.3%) were treated surgically. Wound debridement was the most common procedure performed in 81.2% of the patients. The complication rate was 23.7%. The overall average length of hospital stay (LOS) was 23.5 ± 12.3 days. Mortality rate was 17.5%. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, patients who had severe trauma (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6) and those with long bone fractures stayed longer in the hospital and this was significant (P < 0.001) whereas the age of the patient, severe trauma (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6), admission Systolic Blood Pressure < 90 mmHg and severe head injury (Glasgow Coma Score = 3-8) significantly influenced mortality (P < 0.001).ConclusionRoad traffic crashes constitute a major public health problem in our setting and contribute significantly to unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of road traffic crashes is necessary to reduce the morbidity and mortality resulting from these injuries. Early recognition and prompt treatment of road traffic injuries is essential for optimal patient outcome.

BackgroundSplenic injuries constitute a continuing diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the trauma or general surgeons practicing in developing countries where sophisticated imaging facilities are either not available or exorbitantly expensive. The purpose of this review was to describe our own experience in the management of the splenic injuries outlining the aetiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of splenic injuries in our local environment and to identify predictors of outcome among these patients.MethodsA prospective descriptive study of splenic injury patients was carried out at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania between March 2009 and February 2011. Statistical data analysis was done using SPSS software version 17.0.ResultsA total of 118 patients were studied. The male to female ratio was 6.4:1. Their ages ranged from 8 to 74 years with a median age of 22 years. The modal age group was 21-30 years. The majority of patients (89.8%) had blunt trauma and road traffic accidents (63.6%) were the most frequent cause of injuries. Most patients sustained grade III (39.0%) and IV (38.1%) splenic injuries. Majority of patients (86.4%) were treated operatively with splenectomy (97.1%) being the most frequently performed procedure. Postoperative complications were recorded in 30.5% of cases. The overall length of hospital stay (LOS) ranged from 1 day to 120 days with a median of 18 days. Mortality rate was 19.5%. Patients who had severe trauma (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6) and those with associated injuries stayed longer in the hospital (P < 0.001), whereas age of the patient, associated injuries, trauma scores (KTS II), grade of splenic injuries, admission systolic blood pressure ≤ 90 mmHg, estimated blood loss > 2000 mls, HIV infection with CD4 ≤ 200 cells/μl and presence of postoperative complications were significantly associated with mortality (P < 0.001).ConclusionTrauma resulting from road traffic accidents (RTAs) remains the most common cause of splenic injuries in our setting. Most of the splenic injuries were Grade III & IV and splenectomy was performed in majority of the cases. Non-operative management can be adopted in patients with blunt isolated and low grade splenic injuries but operative management is still indispensable in this part of Tanzania. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of RTAs is necessary to reduce the incidence of splenic injuries in our centre.

BackgroundInjuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among paediatric populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) is a commonly used tool to assess...

Background: Multiple injuries constitute a public health problem and contribute significantly to high morbidity, mortality and long-term disabilities worldwide. This study describes the etiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of multiple injuries at a tertiary care hospital in Tanzania.Methods: This was a descriptive prospective study involving multiple injury patients admitted to Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) from March 2013 to June 2013 inclusive.Results: Out of 712 trauma patients who were admitted to BMC during the study period, 150 (21.1%) had multiple injuries. Their male to female ratio was of 2.3:1. The majority of patients were in the second decade of life. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the most common (93.3%) cause of injury. The majority of patients, 142 (94.7%) sustained blunt injuries. Twelve (8.0%) patients had pre-hospital care. The limbs (89.2%) and the head (78.7%) were the most common body regions injured. The majority of patients (85.3%) sustained severe injuries (ISS ≥ 16). Out of 150 patients, 46 (30.7%) had 65 missed injuries. A total of 142 (94.7%) patients were treated surgically. Wound debridement (87.3%) was the most common surgical procedure performed. The complication and mortality rates were 54.7% and 38.7%, respectively. The overall median length of hospital stay (LOS) was 23 days. Co-morbid illness, HIV positivity, CD4 count (≤ 200 cells/μl), severe trauma (ISS ≥ 16), admission Systolic Blood Pressure &lt; 90 mmHg, missed injuries and surgical site infection significantly influenced mortality (P &lt; 0.001). Patients who developed complications and those who had long bone fractures stayed longer in the hospital (p &lt; 0.001).Conclusion: Road traffic accidents remain a major cause of multiple injuries at BMC and contribute significantly to unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of road traffic accidents is necessary to reduce the incidence of multiple injuries in our centre.

Background: Trauma among street children is an emerging but neglected public health problem in most low and middle income countries. This study was conducted to determine the incidence, etiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome among street children and to identify the predictors of the outcome of these patients at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania.Methods: The study included street children aged &lt;18 years. Routine investigations including haematological, biochemical and imaging were performed on admission. The severity of injury was determined using the Kampala Trauma Score II. Data on patient’s characteristics, circumstances of injury, injury characteristics, treatment offered, outcome variables, length of hospital stay and mortality were collected using a questionnaire.Results: A total of 342 street children (M: F = 6.8: 1) representing 11.5% of all paediatric injury patients were studied. The modal age group was 11-15 years (median = 12 years) accounting for 53.2% (n=182) of the patients. Assault was the most frequent (73.7%) cause of injury. More than three quarter of injuries occurred along the street. Most of patients (59.1%) presented late (&gt;24 hours) after injury. Blunt injuries were the most common (76.0%) mechanism of injuries. Musculoskeletal (30.8%) and head (25.3%) were the most frequent body regions affected. Soft tissue injuries were the most common type of injuries affecting 322 (94.2%) cases. Majority of patients (96.5%) underwent surgical treatment of which wound debridement (97.6%) was the most common surgical procedure performed. Complication rate was 39.5%. The median hospital stay was 6 days. Mortality rate was 13.5% and it was significantly associated with injury-arrival time (OR =2.4, 95%CI (1.3-5.6), p = 0.002), severe injury (Kampala Trauma Score &lt;6) (OR = 3.6, 95%CI (2.5-7.9), p = 0.001), severe head injuries (OR= 5.1, 95%CI (4.6 – 8.2), p =0.012) and surgical site infection.Conclusion: Trauma among street children is an emerging but neglected epidemic in Tanzania and contributes significantly to high morbidity and mortality. Assault was the most frequent cause of injury. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of assault is necessary to reduce the incidence of trauma among street children in this region.

Burn injuries disproportionately impact children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing the highest burden. While pediatric injury research in LMICs is growing, data on pediatric burn injuries and associated mortality in LMICs remain limited. The objective of this study was to describe a cohort of pediatric burn injury patients from a pediatric injury registry in Northern Tanzania, including the epidemiology, clinical presentation, pre-hospital factors, and clinical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective observational study of burn injury patients from a pediatric injury registry at a tertiary zonal referral hospital in Northern Tanzania. We evaluated patient demographics, emergency department presentation, and inpatient data. Study outcomes included ICU admission, in-hospital mortality, and morbidity at discharge. Differences in statistics were evaluated with analysis of variance (ANOVA)/t-test, chi-square tests, or Fisher's exact tests. We assessed associations with ICU stay, in-hospital mortality, and morbidity by reporting adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from multivariable logistic regression models. 133 pediatric burn patients were enrolled between November 2020 and August 2024. Sixty-eight patients were female (51%), and most were aged 5 years or younger (81.9%). Scalds were the most common injury. The in-hospital mortality rate was 22.6%. Burn severity was independently associated with all 3 study outcomes. Pediatric burn mortality was high, with burn severity predicting poor outcomes. This study highlights the urgent need to address gaps in burn injury prevention, community education on timely burn care, and pre-hospital and referral systems for pediatric burn patients in Northern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESIn Saudi Arabia (SA), injuries are the second leading cause of death; however, little is known about their frequencies and outcomes. Trauma registries play a major role in measuring the burden on population health. This study aims to describe the population of the only hospital-based trauma registry in the country and highlight challenges and potential opportunities to improve trauma data collection and research in SA.DESIGN AND SETTINGSUsing data between 2001 and 2010, this retrospective study included patients from a large trauma center in Riyadh, SA.PATIENTS AND METHODSA staff nurse utilized a structured checklist to gather information on patients’ demographic, physiologic, anatomic, and outcome variables. Basic descriptive statistics by age group (≤14 vs >14 years) were calculated, and differences were assessed using student t and chi-square tests. In addition, the mechanism of injury and the frequency of missing data were evaluated.RESULTS10 847 patients from the trauma registry were included. Over 9% of all patients died either before or after being treated at the hospital. Patients who were older than 14 years of age (more likely to be male) sustained traffic-related injuries and died in the hospital as compared to patients who were younger than or equal to years of age. Deceased patients were severely injured as measured by injury severity score and Glasgow Coma Scale (P<.001). Overall, the most frequent type of injury was related to traffic (52.0%), followed by falls (23.4%). Missing values were mostly prevalent in traffic-related variables, such as seatbelt use (70.2%).CONCLUSIONThis registry is a key step toward addressing the burden of injuries in SA. Improved injury classification using the International Classification of Disease-external cause codes may improve the quality of the registry and allow comparison with other populations. Most importantly, injury prevention in SA requires further investment in data collection and research to improve outcomes.

Abdominal trauma continues to be a major cause of trauma admissions all over the world and contributes significantly to high morbidity and mortality. A descriptive prospective study was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre in north-western Tanzania to describe our experience on the management of abdominal trauma outlining the causes, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of these patients. Statistical data analysis was done using SPSS programme. A total of 396 patients were studied. Male to female ratio was 3.2: 1. The median age was 28 years. More than three quarter of patients sustained blunt abdominal injuries. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the most common cause of injury accounting for 64.9% of cases. None of our patients received any pre-hospital care. The spleen was the most common injured organ in blunt abdominal trauma occurring in 176 (75.9%) patients, while in penetrating injury; gastrointestinal tract was the most common in 24 (10.3%) patients. One hundred twenty-four (31.3%) patients had associated extra-abdominal injuries of which the head/neck region (46.8%) was commonly affected. A total of 232 (58.6%) patients were treated surgically with a negative laparotomy rate of 7.8%. Complication and mortality rates were 20.7% and 17.9% respectively. The age of patients, presence of associated extra-abdominal injuries, severity of injury (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6), admission Systolic Blood Pressure < 90mnHg, injury-arrival time > 24 hours and presence of postoperative complications mainly surgical site infections significantly predicted mortality (p < 0.001). The overall median length of hospital stay was 12 days. Patients who had severe trauma (KTS II ≤ 6) and those with associated injuries stayed longer in the hospital (p < 0.001). Abdominal trauma resulting from RTAs is still rampant in our environment and remains a major source of morbidity and mortality. Preventive strategies should be focused on reduction of road traffic accidents, violent crimes and social conflicts.

Pediatric injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and middle-income countries. Timely presentation to care is key for favorable outcomes. The goal of this study was to identify and examine delays that children experience between injury and receiving definitive care at a zonal referral hospital in Northern Tanzania. Between November 2020 and October 2021, we enrolled 348 pediatric trauma patients, collecting quantitative data on referral and timing information. In-depth interviews (IDIs) to explain and explore delays to care were completed with a sub-set of 30 family members. Data were analyzed according to the Three Delays Model. 81.0% (n = 290) of pediatric injury patients sought care at an intermediary facility before reaching the referral hospital. Time from injury to presentation at the referral hospital was 10.2 hours [IQR 4.8, 26.5] if patients presented first to clinics, 8.0 hours [IQR 3.9, 40.0] if patients presented first to district/regional hospitals, and 1.4 hours [IQR 0.7, 3.5] if patients presented directly to the referral hospital. In-hospital mortality was 8.2% (n = 30); 86.7% (n = 26) of these children sought care at an intermediary facility prior to reaching the referral hospital. IDIs revealed themes related to each delay. For decision to seek care (Delay 1), delays included emergency recognition, applying first aid, and anticipated challenges. For reaching definitive care (Delay 2), delays included caregiver rationale for using intermediary facilities, the complex referral system, logistical challenges, and intermediary facility delays. For receiving definitive care (Delay 3), wait time and delays due to treatment cost existed at the referral hospital. Factors throughout the healthcare system contribute to delays in receipt of definitive care for pediatric injuries. To minimize delays and improve patient outcomes, interventions are needed to improve caregiver and healthcare worker education, streamline the current trauma healthcare system, and improve quality of care in the hospital setting.

Pediatric injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and middle-income countries. Timely presentation to care is key for favorable outcomes. The goal of this study was to identify and examine delays that children experience between injury and receiving definitive care at a zonal referral hospital in Northern Tanzania. Between November 2020 and October 2021, we enrolled 348 pediatric trauma patients, collecting quantitative data on referral and timing information. In-depth interviews (IDIs) to explain and explore delays to care were completed with a sub-set of 30 family members. Data were analyzed according to the Three Delays Model. 81.0% (n = 290) of pediatric injury patients sought care at an intermediary facility before reaching the referral hospital. Time from injury to presentation at the referral hospital was 10.2 hours [IQR 4.8, 26.5] if patients presented first to clinics, 8.0 hours [IQR 3.9, 40.0] if patients presented first to district/regional hospitals, and 1.4 hours [IQR 0.7, 3.5] if patients presented directly to the referral hospital. In-hospital mortality was 8.2% (n = 30); 86.7% (n = 26) of these children sought care at an intermediary facility prior to reaching the referral hospital. IDIs revealed themes related to each delay. For decision to seek care (Delay 1), delays included emergency recognition, applying first aid, and anticipated challenges. For reaching definitive care (Delay 2), delays included caregiver rationale for using intermediary facilities, the complex referral system, logistical challenges, and intermediary facility delays. For receiving definitive care (Delay 3), wait time and delays due to treatment cost existed at the referral hospital. Factors throughout the healthcare system contribute to delays in receipt of definitive care for pediatric injuries. To minimize delays and improve patient outcomes, interventions are needed to improve caregiver and healthcare worker education, streamline the current trauma healthcare system, and improve quality of care in the hospital setting.

Injury care is a core part of daily emergency medicine (EM) clinical practice, accounting for over one-third of emergency department (ED) visits every year.1 It also remains a formidable burden to the public’s health in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2006, 179,065 Americans died as a result of injury,2 and in 2007, 29,756,586 suffered nonfatal injuries.3 Historically, the development of the science of injury prevention and control has paralleled the evolution of the specialty of EM. This was initially nested within the context of emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma systems development. In the 1966 landmark publication, Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council detailed the first examination of the country’s burden of injury morbidity and mortality. The report outlined specific recommendations calling for EMS development and meaningful federal agency guidance and oversight.4 Along with the first federal funding to establish EMS in the late 1960s and early 1970s came the establishment of the National Highway Safety Bureau (later known as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA]). This emphasis on EMS contributed to the development and organization of EDs and specialty training of emergency physicians (EPs). As the specialty of EM began to grow in the 1970s, the public’s awareness of the continued high injury-related morbidity and mortality statistics raised the urgency for policy-makers to address the nation’s injury burden. As a result, state and federal health officials and researchers began to focus their efforts on population health to accurately describe and formulate plans to address the injury burden and its impact on U.S. communities. In 1985, the first of the landmark “red books,”Injury in America: A Continuing Public Health Problem, was published.5 This report outlined the magnitude of the national injury burden, and the gaps in addressing this burden comprehensively, and provided descriptions of opportunities for medical specialties to participate in reducing this burden. Subsequent national reports6 continued to reveal the cost of injury and the challenges in addressing this public health burden. Simultaneously, EM as a specialty began to build its intentional and positive influence in the future development of injury prevention and control activities and science. Over the past two and a half decades, EM’s efforts to address injury as a public health burden have led many EPs to engage in injury prevention and control activities through participation and leadership in surveillance and research, education, and advocacy. These collective efforts have fostered growth in the body of knowledge of injury science and have helped to lessen the burden on society. As the clinical specialty treating the entire spectrum of injury occurring in children and adults, EM is uniquely positioned to contribute to the science of injury prevention and control. At a population level, EM is able to provide understanding of types of injury patterns occurring, the risk factors for their occurrence, and the outcome of the injury. In creating epidemiologic profiles of injury patterns, interventions at both the individual and the population level can be developed and examined. Within states, EM contributes to injury surveillance with external cause coding (E-codes) in the hospital ED data system. Although these data are used primarily for administrative and billing purposes, they provide important state-level external cause of injury data for measuring the impact of nonfatal injury in that state, allowing policy-makers to make data-driven decisions regarding injury prevention.7 Several large national databases that utilize ED data on injured patients are frequently accessed and used by researchers both within and outside of EM to describe a specific injury problem and discuss mechanisms for prevention and control. One database that relies solely on ED data is the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), which is a collaborative effort between the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.8 Data on injury-related visits are obtained by NEISS-AIP from a national stratified probability sample of hospitals in the United States and its territories with a minimum of six beds and a 24-hour ED. NEISS-AIP collects data on initial visits for all categories of injuries treated in U.S. EDs and provides data on nearly 500,000 injury-related ED visits annually. Not only does EM contribute to the database through its clinical work, but researchers within the specialty have been consumers of the data and utilize it to further describe injury patterns.9–11 Another injury surveillance database that EM contributes to is the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) database that is maintained by NHTSA.12 It is a statewide population-based probabilistic linkage of police reports on motor vehicle crash (MVC), EMS, and hospital/ED data. EM researchers have used this database in describing transportation injury problems.13,14 Emergency physicians now lead many regional poison control centers. These centers provide important toxicologic expertise for patient care, as well as a large amount of data on the occurrence and outcomes of poisonings that is utilized by EM and non-EM researchers.15,16 The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN)17 is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related visits to EDs and helps communities identify emerging problems that are risk factors for intentional and unintentional injuries. EM-based injury prevention research has also had a substantive role with both interventional and translational research at the patient care level and advancing clinical preventive services. One example is EM-based randomized clinical trials in the area of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol use disorders that have demonstrated decreased alcohol use,18 injury,19 or risky behaviors for injury occurrence.20 This has led to type II translational research21 (bedside to community) on how to best integrate SBIRT into routine EM care.22 The ED is frequently a treatment site for victims of interpersonal violence. This has allowed EM-based researchers to contribute to the knowledge development of this problem, as well as expand research to better screen for and intervene with victims.23–25 Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury death in the first three decades of life. Caring for the entire spectrum of MVC trauma victims allows EM to develop research foci in this area of testing and interventions to decrease future injury risk26 and contributing to the clinical research of care of the injured trauma patient to prevent secondary injury. It has also allowed EM to contribute to the science involving the biomechanics of crash injury27,28 and an appropriate EMS response to reduce the occurrence of secondary injury.29,30 As a result of growing interest and leadership in injury prevention and control, several departments of EM began to organize their efforts and form injury prevention centers. These centers have had a research focus, but also have efforts directed at injury prevention education and community programs. The growing number of EM-led centers reflects the increased leadership that the specialty brings to the field of injury prevention and control. These centers31–35 have a track record of state and federal research funding for injury prevention and control research, as well as incorporating missions for education and community outreach. Several offer fellowship training in injury prevention and control for EM trainees. Instruction to EM residents on injury prevention was first addressed in 1990,36 with a short course with the goal to “provide information on motor vehicle crashes in a public health framework.” As others in EM began to publish and lecture on this topic, efforts to increase health care professional training in injury prevention increased.37 The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report “Who Will Keep the Public Healthy” noted the importance of injury prevention and control education for the well-being of the population and called for health care professional training programs to make injury prevention training a higher priority.38 EPs in training shared the same belief as the IOM and wanted more injury prevention and control education in their training. In one study, 97% of EM residents in California surveyed between 1992 and 1993 felt that injury prevention was a critical aspect of their work, and 70% felt that it was a necessary focus in their training.39 Many articles and efforts from national organizations, such as the Association of American Medical Colleges, have called for an incorporation of injury prevention and control into medical school curricula40,41 and further advancement into medical training programs, including EM. The integration of injury prevention and control and EM practice and training has continued to grow. Injury prevention and control is now recognized as integral to EM residency training, although it still needs more emphasis in the core curriculum. Medical schools are increasingly recognizing the opportunity injury has in integrating basic science, clinical care, and population health sciences for their students. There are EM-based injury control and prevention fellowships, complementing the traditional trauma surgery fellowships that exist at many academic health centers in the United States. It is important to emphasize the opportunity that EM has to advance the science of injury prevention and control and bring the various injury control stakeholders together. A good example of this can be found in the context of toxicology and poisonings. Acute injury from chemical agents continues to be a growing and significant cause of mortality and morbidity. It is now the leading cause of injury death in Americans age 35–44 years.2 EM already plays a significant national leadership role in toxicology and poison center activities. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, there are currently more than 20 fellowships in EM toxicology. Emergency medicine leaders in disaster preparedness and response from all physical agents including chemical are also in a strong position to reduce fragmented responses and further improve our overall disaster preparedness by unifying response principles and integrating the science of injury prevention and control. The acute care research agenda of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control calls for case studies that further inform our abilities to address mass casualties from physical agents.42 Among the central goals of training future EM leaders, and in unison with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) principles that guide our resident training43 is the development of professionalism and duty to society in EM trainees.44 Consistent with this, EPs have moved to purposely teach and lead by example as advocates for primary injury prevention and control programs and policies. EM leaders have also organized to educate the community and conduct important policy-relevant injury research expertise. Today, state and federal government agencies continue to seek support from EPs to provide important insights and expertise into injury-related issues that are affecting the nation. EM leaders have made and continue to make substantial contributions within these federal agencies including the CDC, the NHTSA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. While there has been significant growth in both injury prevention and control science and EM over the past several decades, the current challenges to EM outlined in recent IOM reports45–47 appear to be daunting and potential indicators of a downturn. However, some of these same challenges reveal tangible opportunities for continued parallel growth in injury prevention and control science and EM. One of the most notable areas where such opportunity exists is within the National Institutes of Health’s creation of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA). Understanding that each CTSA will have to be understood in its respective institutional culture and context, opportunities for collaboration and EM investigator–initiated training and research in injury prevention and control should exist. Training EPs in translational sciences has the potential to significantly enhance the capacity for future EM researcher and specialty success while advancing the science of injury prevention and control. The development and growth of injury prevention and control science and EM as a medical specialty have had paralleled success. The spectrum of leadership of EPs in injury prevention began at the bedside with the desire of EPs to deliver the very best care to injured patients. Many EPs and departments have gone beyond the doors of the ED and have been instrumental in influencing important systems of surveillance, clinical care, and health policy so that primary and secondary prevention efforts are effectively developed and implemented. Still other EPs have gone further to champion injury prevention and control in a variety of prominent leadership positions at state and federal levels. Injury research centers, with primary and collaborative EM leadership, continue to flourish nationally, with EPs partnering with colleagues in surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, epidemiology, and other disciplines on injury research, advocacy, and policy. The future of EM leadership and growth in injury prevention and control science remains promising, with opportunities for the development and execution of robust research that will influence the public’s health in meaningful and measurable ways.