Strengthening the prevention and care of injuries worldwide

Creation date: 09 October 2008

The global burden of injuries is enormous, but has often been overlooked in attempts to improve health. We review measures that would strengthen existing efforts to prevent and treat injuries worldwide.

Scientifically-based efforts to understand risk factors for the occurrence of injury are needed and they must be translated into prevention programmes that are well designed and assessed.

Areas for potential intervention include environmental modification, improved engineering features of motor vehicle and other products, and promotion of safe behaviours through social marketing, legislation, and law enforcement.

Treatment efforts need to better define the most high-yield services and to promote these in the form of essential health services.

To achieve these changes, there is a need to strengthen the capacity of national institutions to do research on injury control; to design and implement countermeasures that address injury risk factors and deficiencies in injury treatment; and to assess the effectiveness of such countermeasures.

Although much work remains to be done in high-income countries, even greater attention is needed in less-developed countries, where injury rates are higher, few injury control activities have been undertaken, and where most of the world's population lives.

In almost all areas, injury rates are especially high in the most vulnerable sections of the community, including those of low socioeconomic status. Injury control activities should, therefore, be undertaken in a context of attention to human rights and other broad social issues.

Article Outline
Introduction
Surveillance
Injury prevention
Road traffic injuries
Other unintentional injuries
Intentional injuries
Injury treatment
Prehospital care
Hospital-based care
Foundations for improved injury care
Trauma system organisation
Essential health services
Essential trauma care
Capacity for injury control
The way forward
Search strategy
Acknowledgements
References

Full article available on: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T1B-4CPK0DC-V&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=fde8aa1c49c5ddd4b2bf76378775e7e9