Injury prevention

For the journal, see Injury Prevention (journal).

Injury prevention is an effort to prevent or reduce the severity of bodily injuries caused by external mechanisms, such as accidents, before they occur. Injury prevention is a component of safety and public health, and its goal is to improve the health of the population by preventing injuries and hence improving quality of life. Among laypersons, the term "accidental injury" is often used. However, "accidental" implies the causes of injuries are random in nature.[1] Researchers prefer the term "unintentional injury" to refer to injuries that are nonvolitional but often preventable. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show that unintentional injuries are a significant public health concern: they are by far the leading cause of death from ages 1 through 44.[2] During these years, unintentional injuries account for more deaths than the next three leading causes of death combined.[2] Unintentional injuries also account for the top ten sources of nonfatal emergency room visits for persons up to age 9 and nine of the top ten sources of nonfatal emergency room visits for persons over the age of 9.[3]

Injury prevention strategies cover a variety of approaches, many of which are classified as falling under the "3 Es" of injury prevention: education, engineering modifications, and enforcement/enactment of policies.[4] Some organizations and researchers have variously proposed the addition of equity, empowerment, emotion, empathy, evaluation, and economic incentives to this list.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Bonilla-Escobar, Francisco Javier; Gutiérrez, María Isabel (2014). "Injuries are not accidents". Colombia Médica. 45 (3): 132–135. ISSN 0120-8322. PMC 4225791. PMID 25386040.
  2. ^ a b "Injuries and Violence Are Leading Causes of Death". www.cdc.gov. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  3. ^ "10 Leading Causes of Nonfatal Emergency Department Visits, United States". wisqars.cdc.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  4. ^ Macpherson, Alison K.; Brussoni, Mariana; Fuselli, Pamela; Middaugh-Bonney, Tara; Piedt, Shannon; Pike, Ian (2015-07-25). "An evaluation of evidence-based paediatric injury prevention policies across Canada". BMC Public Health. 15 (1): 707. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1986-9. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 4514983. PMID 26208854.
  5. ^ Giles, Audrey; Bauer, Michelle E. E.; Jull, Janet (2020-02-01). "Equity as the fourth 'E' in the '3 E's' approach to injury prevention". Injury Prevention. 26 (1): 82–84. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043407. ISSN 1353-8047. PMID 31537617. S2CID 202703212.
  6. ^ NHTSA. 2000. Safe Communities: The First Six Months. https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/firstsixmonths_0.pdf
  7. ^ Geller, Scott (May 1, 2011). "The Human Dynamics of Injury Prevention: Three New E-Words for Occupational Safety". www.ehstoday.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.