National Injury Prevention Strategy Research Articles

Injury hospitalisations for children and young people: a 20-year review

BackgroundChildhood injuries can have significant lifelong consequences. Quantifying and understanding patterns in injury severity can inform targeted prevention strategies and policies. This study examines the characteristics of child injury hospitalisations...

The injury workforce in Western Australia: Findings from a cross-sectional survey.

Since 1986, injury prevention and control has been classified as a National Health Priority. However, no reviews into the injury prevention workforce have been conducted in Australia since 2011 and to date; none has focused specifically on the injury prevention and safety promotion sector in Western Australia (WA). This research sought to review the scope of the injury prevention and safety promotion workforce in WA to gain a greater understanding of sector characteristics, work and needs. An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted between mid-January and mid-March 2018. Participants were required to be: (a) based in WA or have a program running within WA; and (b) working in injury prevention and safety promotion relating to programs, policy or legislation development, implementation and/or evaluation within intentional (eg interpersonal violence, suicide and self-harm) or unintentional injuries (eg transport, poisoning, falls, drowning, burns) or farm, child and community, occupational health and safety, sport and recreation and trauma. The research found that participants were predominantly female (82%), aged 40years or older (66.1%) and were employed full time (55.6%). The majority of participants worked in falls prevention (38.5%), alcohol and other drugs (38.0%), injury in general (31.8%) and community safety (30.7%). Findings demonstrate significant heterogeneity with a core workforce supported by a range of non-core and indirect actors. Identifying characteristics and needs of the workforce supports coordinated capacity building to implement effective injury prevention and safety promotion initiatives. With this being the first review of the workforce in WA, this article highlights the need to more regularly audit the sector to determine its breadth and composition. SO WHAT?: In the light of the recent announcement by the Commonwealth for a new national Injury Prevention Strategy, this study provides timely insights into the injury prevention and safety promotion sector in WA.

Incidence, costs, and temporal trends of sports injury-related hospitalisations in Australian children over a 10-year period: A nationwide population-based cohort study

ObjectivesTo quantify and describe the incidence, cost, and temporal trends of sports injury-related hospitalisations in Australian children over a 10-year period. DesignRetrospective population-based cohort study. MethodsThis study used linked hospitalisation and mortality data of children aged ≤16 years who were hospitalised for sports-related injury in Australia from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2012. Age-standardised incidence rates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Negative binomial regression was used to examine change in temporal trends in incidence rates. ResultsThere were 130,167 sports injury-related hospitalisations during the 10-year study period. The overall annual incidence rate was 281.0 (95%CI: 279.5, 282.6) per 100,000 population. Males and older children were more frequently hospitalised than their female and younger counterparts. The most common sports activities resulting in hospitalisation were team ball sports (43.1%) and wheeled non-motor sport (22.3%). There was no significant annual decline in the overall incidence rate during the 10-year study period (−1.0% [95%CI: −3.0%, 1.0%]). The estimated total hospital treatment cost was $396 million, with an estimated mean cost per injured child of $3058. ConclusionsThere has been no significant decline in sports injury-related hospitalisation rates among Australian children during 2002–03 to 2011–12. This may suggest that sports injury prevention initiatives in Australia to date have been inadequate to produce population-level reduction in sports injury-related hospitalisations. It is recommended that a national injury prevention strategy to reduce the burden of sports injuries among Australian children is developed and implemented.

Trauma care in Oman: A call for action

Many Arab countries have undergone the epidemiologic transition of diseases with increasing economic development and a proportionately decreasing prevalence of communicable diseases. With this transition, injuries have emerged as a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in addition to diseases of affluence. Injuries are the number one cause of years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years in the Sultanate of Oman. The burden of injuries, which affects mostly young Omani males, has a unique geographic distribution that is in contrast to the trauma care capabilities of the country. The concentration of health care resources in the northern part of the country makes it difficult for the majority of Omanis who live elsewhere to access high-quality and time-sensitive care. A broader multisectorial national injury prevention strategy should be evidence based and must strengthen human resources, service delivery, and information systems to improve care of the injured and loss of life. This paper provides a unique overview of the Omani health system with the goal of examining its trauma care capabilities and injury control policies.

The development of a framework to integrate evidence into a national injury prevention strategy.

Injury is the leading cause of death from birth to age 34 in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2008). In 2013, a national injury prevention organization in Canada initiated a research-practitioner collaboration to establish a framework for incorporating evidence in the organization's decision-making. In this study, we outline the development process and provide an overview of the framework. The process of development of the evidence-synthesis framework included consultation with national and international injury prevention experts, a review of the research literature to identify existing models for incorporating research evidence into public health practice and extensive interactions with the organization's leadership and staff. A framework emphasizing four types of research evidence was recommended: (i) epidemiologic evidence describing the burden and cause of injury, (ii) evidence concerning the effectiveness of interventions, (iii) evidence on effective methods for implementing promising interventions at a population level, and (iv) evidence and theory from the behavioral sciences. Through the evidence-synthesis process the framework prioritizes highly synthesized evidence-based strategies and draws attention to important research gaps. This study describes a novel opportunity to operationalize an organization's commitment to integrate evidence into practice. The framework provides guidance on how to use evidence strategically to maximize the potential impact of prevention efforts. Opportunities for further evaluation and dissemination are discussed.

CHANGING THE FACE OF NEW ZEALAND'S NATIONAL INJURY REPORTING

BackgroundNew Zealand has had a national injury prevention strategy since 2003. Until last year, annual monitoring of the Strategy has focused upon producing mortality and morbidity indicators and reporting activity...

Occupational Therapists Lead a National Injury Prevention Strategy to Help Older Drivers

As older adults are the fastest growing segment of the driving population, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) has taken older driver safety as a key priority. The purpose of this paper is to present the National Blueprint for Injury Prevention in Older Drivers (Blueprint) and its related activities. Since 2006, CAOT has been working on initiatives relating to the National Blueprint for Injury Prevention in Older Drivers. The most recent activities include the launch of informational brochures and a website. The Blueprint and its related activities were developed with the intent to prolong safe driving among older adults in Canada, and to propose future actions to be addressed by all stakeholders interested in older driver safety.

Make your voices heard: Don't let the report on child and youth health fade away

Injury prevention, childhood obesity, mental health, Aboriginal child and youth health – these are among the top priorities for the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS). They are also the focal points of a report from the federally appointed Advisor on Healthy Children and Youth, Dr K Kellie Leitch (1). The report hones in on some of the most important health problems facing young Canadians. If the federal government acts on the key elements of the 100-plus recommendations, there is potential for progress on some pervasive health issues. Dr Leitch’s report was quietly released by Health Canada in March, six months after it was completed. Since the release, there has been no public response from the federal government. With the House slated to rise for summer break in a matter of weeks, the lack of enthusiasm for the report is very disconcerting. The CPS met with Dr Leitch several times during her consultations, and the good news is that she heard us. The key recommendations in Dr Leitch’s report echo what we have been telling governments about for some time, including developing a National Injury Prevention Strategy, and improving access to mental health services for children and youth, including establishing a wait time strategy for paediatric mental health. We know that investments and informed public policy in child and youth mental health and injury prevention can net huge gains – both human and financial. About 14% or 1.1 million Canadians younger than 20 years of age suffer from mental health conditions that affect their daily lives. Unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death in children one to 14 years of age. Dr Leitch also recommends establishing a National Office for Child and Youth Health, reporting to the Minister of Health, to look at the impact of all federal policies and programs on young Canadians. While this Office would be a step forward, it should not preclude the appointment of a federal Canadian Commissioner for Children and Youth. The CPS reiterates its call for a Commissioner, an independent voice to ensure that the views and needs of children and youth are considered in all relevant national public policy decisions – not just those strictly related to health. A Commissioner would push Canada to meet its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and as outlined in A Canada Fit for Children, Canada’s Plan of Action (2). The CPS supports Dr Leitch’s proposal that the federal government adopt an integrated, ‘whole of government’ approach to the health of children and youth, and provide leadership in areas such as national standards, collaboration, surveillance, research and knowledge transfer, and social marketing to improve health outcomes. These are pivotal responsibilities that only the federal government can lead. The CPS and many of its allies have responded to the report in a number of ways. We have written to federal Minister of Health, Tony Clement. We have met with Dr Leitch. We issued a joint news release with the Canadian Medical Association and the College of Family Physicians, two organizations we worked with to develop Canada’s Child and Youth Health Charter; and we are trying to meet with federal officials, including the Minister. We need your help. In the face of competing demands, the voice of children and youth and voices for children and youth are not well heard. This moment has the potential to be a turning point in the federal government’s commitment to young Canadians. As an advocate for children and youth, you can work with us. Write to the Minister of Health. Contact your local Member of Parliament (visit www.gc.ca and follow the links to ‘Contact your MP’ for telephone and e-mail information). Share the report with others in your community, and encourage them to be active too. The voices of paediatricians, other doctors and health professionals on the frontline are powerful testaments to the need for action. The CPS will continue its advocacy in support of the recommendations in the report, working with allied organizations across Canada. If the federal government hears from the hundreds and thousands of people taking care of children and youth in the community and in hospitals, it may finally have no choice but to listen.

Policy patchwork hurts kids

Policy patchwork hurts kids

Urban-rural variation in mortality and hospital admission rates for unintentional injury in Ireland

Objective: To explore urban-rural differences in the mortality and hospital admission rates for unintentional injuries in the Republic of Ireland. Design: Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) in residents of urban and...

Injury Prevention in Scotland — The Case for a National Strategy

In children and young adults, injury overshadows other causes of death and is a major contributor to acute and long-term disability. Yet injury is more amenable to prevention than most other causes of ill health. The purpose of this paper is to present the case for the development and implementation of a national injury prevention strategy for Scotland. Systematic reviews of the evidence have identified a series of specific interventions that have been shown to reduce injury incidence, mortality or morbidity. Research suggests that over half of all traumatic deaths are avoidable in children. In addition to the responsibilities of individuals, parents, carers, schools and employers to prevent or to reduce the probability of injury, responsibility for injury prevention and the protection of the public from injury hazards lies with a range of national and local agencies in the UK. These vary across the country and are unco-ordinated. To reduce the number of deaths and disorders resulting from injury, and the costs associated with treating and caring for injured people and their families, we contend that the most pressing current need is to develop a national strategy for Scotland.

A review of national policies and programs to prevent unintentional injuries in the Americas

Injuries are a global public health problem, with injury mortality increasing in many regions. We describe a survey of injury policies and programs in 23 countries in the Americas. Most countries surveyed (87%) perceived unintentional injuries to be a significant public health problem. When asked about actual policy agendas, however, just one-fourth (26%) of the countries ranked unintentional injuries among policy makers’ top five concerns. Approximately half of the countries reported having a national injury prevention strategy, injury prevention coordinator, or consultative group. Virtually all countries with national strategies and consultative groups had established them in the 1990s, suggesting that concern about injuries is both recent and growing. Three-fourths (74%) reported that their country had a surveillance system to monitor injury-related mortality and, to a lesser extent, morbidity. The study’s results suggest that most policies and programs for the prevention and control of unintentional injuries have been developed in the past 10 years, and primarily address motor vehicle injuries. It is essential that current efforts be both broadened and strengthened so that the societal burden of unintentional injuries in the Americas can be reduced.