Injury Prevention Overview WHAM

 Extent of the injury problem  Science of injury prevention  Ways to help your patients and communities  Resources

Injuries are not “accidents”  Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death and hospitalization from ages 1 through 44  Most are preventable  Known, effective interventions work! 10 Leading Causes of Death by Age - -Blue boxes indicate injury deaths.

Quick Quiz… What are the leading cause of most fatal unintentional injuries?

Fatalities  Motor Vehicle  Falls (adults)  Poisoning (adults)  Drowning (toddlers/teens/older adults)  Airway Obstruction (under 1 y.o.)  Pedestrian (older adults, ages 1-4 and 20-24)  Pedal Cyclist  Fires and Burns  Poisoning  Firearms Source: Washington State Dept. of Health

Fatalities: tip of the iceberg 1 Death 45 Hospitalizations 1,300 Emergency Room Visits 2,600 Treated at Doctor Office or Home

Quick Quiz… What causes the most nonfatal unintentional injuries?

Non-fatal Hospitalizations  Falls (older adults)  Motor Vehicle  Poisoning (adults and toddlers)  Natural environment (bites, stings, etc.)  “Struck By/Against”  Fires/Burns  Cut/Pierce Source: Washington State Dept. of Health

Fatal Hospitalized Non-hospitalized Total 149,075 Incidence Medical Costs Productivity Losses Total Costs $1 Billion$142 Billion $143 Billion 1,869,857$34 Billion$49 Billion $92 Billion 48,108,166$45 Billion$125 Billion $171 Billion 50,127,098$80 Billion$326 Billion $406 Billion US Incidence and Costs of Injury (Finkelstein, et al 2006) Cost Estimates Based on 2000 data

Injury Prevention as a Science  Known risk factors  Scientific research (conducted by leaders such as Johns Hopkins, Centers For Disease Control, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center, etc.)  Best practice interventions based on research and data

Scientific “public health” model: Define problem: look at data! Define problem: look at data! Identify risk and protective factors Identify risk and protective factors Develop and test prevention strategies Develop and test prevention strategies Assure widespread adoption of injury prevention principals and strategies Assure widespread adoption of injury prevention principals and strategies

Quick Quiz Who is most likely to be injured?

Most at-risk  Younger children  Older adults  Males  Minority children  Poor children

Traditional “E’s” of Injury Prevention  Education: community and individual  Engineering: safer products, roadways, construction practices, etc.  Enforcement: laws, policies,ordinances, building codes, etc.

Another “E”: Evaluation Activity should be based on data that shows a) issue is important b) target population is appropriate c) intervention strategy is promising

Trusted Resources  Centers For Disease and Prevention  Safe Kids Worldwide  American Academy of Pediatrics  Consumer Product Safety Commission  National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA)

Local coalitions  Safe Kids Pierce County  Pierce County Child Passenger Safety Team  Pierce County Falls Prevention Coalition  Pierce County Leadership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth

New resource developed for emergency personnel:  Developed by local prevention specialists  Modules added to OTEP  Enables you to address prevention during the “teachable moment” following an injury or near- injury  Provides you with resources to leave with the patient/patient’s family WHAM

Why talk about injury prevention after an injury (or near miss)? On-scene EMS crews are in an ideal position to deliver prevention info because…  Research with brief interventions in hospitals show a patient is psychologically open to information, creating a “teachable moment”  EMS may be the "tipping point" for the patient or caregiver to incorporate safety practices  If a person experiences one injury, he/she is at higher risk for a future injury  Other healthcare providers often lack appropriate knowledge or resources  Patients treat on-scene and released may not have another opportunity for safety counseling

W hat risks are observed on scene? H ow can we keep from coming back? A ction to take to prevent future injuries M aterials to leave behind WHAM

WHAM Folders  Folders provided for emergency rigs  Folders divided by injury areas: Helmets Helmets Firearms Firearms Poisoning Poisoning Falls among Older Adults Falls among Older Adults Child Passenger / Motor Vehicle Safety Child Passenger / Motor Vehicle Safety Airway Obstructions Airway Obstructions Burns Burns Open Water Drowning Open Water Drowning  Contains prevention info and local resources

WHAM developed by: Central Pierce Fire & Rescue City of DuPont Fire Department Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Safe Kids Pierce County Tacoma-Pierce County Health Dept. With funding from: West Region EMS & Trauma Care Council