Injury prevention and safety. Comprehensive Guide to Child Injury Prevention and Home Safety Measures

What are the leading causes of unintentional injuries in children. How can parents create a safer home environment. What resources are available for injury prevention. What disparities exist in childhood injury rates. How can specific safety devices reduce injury risk.

Understanding Unintentional Injuries in Children: A Public Health Concern

Unintentional injuries pose a significant threat to children’s health and well-being, with far-reaching consequences that extend beyond immediate physical harm. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified these accidental injuries as the primary cause of mortality among children aged 1-21. This alarming statistic underscores the critical need for effective injury prevention strategies and heightened awareness among parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

While unintentional injuries affect children across all demographics, certain groups face disproportionately higher risks. Historical data reveals that children from low-income backgrounds, particularly urban African-American youth, experience higher injury rates. Additionally, male children tend to be more susceptible to injuries compared to their female counterparts. These disparities highlight the importance of targeted interventions and equitable access to safety resources.

Common Types of Unintentional Injuries

Safe Kids Worldwide, a prominent organization dedicated to child safety, has identified several leading causes of death in the home environment. These include:

• Fire-related incidents
• Drowning
• Suffocation
• Choking
• Falls
• Unintentional firearm injuries
• Poisoning

Understanding these primary risk factors is crucial for developing comprehensive prevention strategies tailored to different age groups and living environments.

Creating a Safer Home Environment: Essential Precautions and Practices

While the term “unintentional injuries” implies a degree of unpredictability, numerous proactive measures can significantly reduce the risk of accidents within the home. By implementing these basic precautions, parents and caregivers can create a safer environment for children to thrive:

Proper Use of Safety Devices

Consistently employing appropriate safety devices is fundamental to injury prevention. Key measures include:

• Installing and maintaining smoke detectors
• Ensuring children wear bicycle helmets during outdoor activities
• Using safety gates to restrict access to potentially dangerous areas
• Utilizing child-proof containers and latches for hazardous substances

Active Supervision

Vigilant supervision is crucial, particularly in high-risk situations. This includes:

• Continuous monitoring of children near water, including pools, bathtubs, and natural bodies of water
• Limiting access to areas containing potentially hazardous materials or objects
• Maintaining awareness of children’s activities and surroundings

Securing Dangerous Items

Keeping potentially harmful objects out of children’s reach is essential. Important considerations include:

• Storing knives and sharp utensils in secure locations
• Turning pot handles inward on the stove to prevent accidental spills
• Keeping hot liquids away from edges of tables and counters
• Securing cords from appliances and window treatments

Emergency Preparedness

Being prepared for emergencies can make a critical difference. Key steps include:

• Keeping important phone numbers readily accessible, including emergency services, poison control, and healthcare providers
• Creating and regularly reviewing a family emergency plan
• Ensuring all family members know how to respond in various emergency scenarios

Beyond Physical Safety: Creating a Holistic Healthy Home Environment

While addressing immediate safety concerns is paramount, it’s equally important to consider broader factors that contribute to a healthy home environment. One significant example is the impact of smoking within the home. Refraining from cigarette smoking indoors not only reduces the risk of chronic health issues like asthma but also mitigates the danger of unintentional injuries. Notably, residential fires caused by smoking materials, including cigarettes, are the leading cause of fire-related deaths.

By taking a comprehensive approach to home safety, families can create an environment that not only prevents unintentional injuries but also promotes overall well-being and long-term health for all household members.

Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Home Safety

Advancements in technology have introduced innovative solutions to complement traditional safety measures. How can modern devices contribute to a safer home environment? Smart home systems offer features such as:

• Remote monitoring of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Water leak detection sensors to prevent slip hazards and water damage
• Smart locks and security cameras for enhanced home security
• Temperature control systems to prevent scalding from hot water

While these technological solutions can provide an additional layer of protection, it’s crucial to remember that they should supplement, not replace, basic safety practices and active supervision.

Addressing Age-Specific Injury Risks: Tailored Prevention Strategies

The types of unintentional injuries children face often vary with age, necessitating tailored prevention approaches. How do safety concerns evolve as children grow? Let’s explore age-specific risks and preventive measures:

Infants (0-12 months)

Primary concerns for infants include:

• Suffocation hazards in cribs
• Choking on small objects
• Falls from changing tables or other elevated surfaces

Prevention strategies should focus on creating a safe sleep environment, keeping small objects out of reach, and using safety straps on changing tables.

Toddlers (1-3 years)

As children become more mobile, new risks emerge:

• Poisoning from household chemicals or medications
• Burns from hot liquids or surfaces
• Drowning in bathtubs or pools

Childproofing cabinets, using stove guards, and ensuring constant supervision around water are crucial during this stage.

Preschoolers (3-5 years)

With increasing independence, preschoolers face risks such as:

• Falls from playground equipment
• Traffic-related injuries
• Fire-setting curiosity

Teaching basic safety rules, supervising outdoor play, and storing matches and lighters securely become important preventive measures.

School-Age Children (5-12 years)

As children’s activities expand, so do potential hazards:

• Bicycle and sports-related injuries
• Pedestrian accidents
• Firearm accidents

Emphasizing the use of protective gear during sports, teaching road safety, and ensuring proper storage of firearms (if present in the home) are key strategies for this age group.

Community-Based Approaches to Injury Prevention

While individual household measures are crucial, community-wide efforts can significantly enhance child safety. How can communities work together to reduce unintentional injuries? Effective strategies include:

• Implementing school-based safety education programs
• Organizing community safety fairs and workshops
• Advocating for child-friendly urban planning and playground designs
• Supporting local initiatives for affordable safety equipment distribution

By fostering a culture of safety awareness and collective responsibility, communities can create environments where children are better protected from unintentional injuries.

Navigating Cultural Differences in Safety Practices

In diverse communities, cultural backgrounds can influence perceptions and practices related to child safety. How can injury prevention efforts be culturally sensitive and inclusive? Consider the following approaches:

• Developing multilingual safety resources and educational materials
• Collaborating with community leaders to understand specific cultural norms and concerns
• Adapting safety recommendations to align with various cultural practices while maintaining effectiveness
• Providing culturally competent training for healthcare providers and safety educators

By acknowledging and respecting cultural differences, injury prevention initiatives can achieve greater reach and impact across diverse populations.

Empowering Children: Teaching Safety Skills and Risk Assessment

While adult supervision and environmental modifications are essential, empowering children with age-appropriate safety skills can significantly contribute to injury prevention. How can parents and educators effectively teach children about safety? Consider these strategies:

Age-Appropriate Safety Education

Tailor safety lessons to a child’s developmental stage:

• For young children, use simple rules and repetition (e.g., “hot things hurt”)
• With older children, explain the reasoning behind safety rules
• Encourage questions and open discussions about safety concerns

Role-Playing and Practice

Engage children in hands-on learning experiences:

• Practice fire escape routes and meeting points
• Simulate crossing streets safely
• Demonstrate proper use of safety equipment like helmets and life jackets

Developing Risk Assessment Skills

Help children learn to identify and evaluate potential hazards:

• Encourage them to point out safety concerns in various environments
• Discuss “what-if” scenarios to promote critical thinking about safety
• Praise children for recognizing and avoiding risks

By involving children in the process of maintaining their own safety, we can foster a lifelong commitment to injury prevention and responsible decision-making.

Leveraging Resources: Organizations and Programs Dedicated to Child Safety

Numerous organizations and programs are dedicated to promoting child safety and injury prevention. These resources offer valuable information, tools, and support for families and communities. Here are some notable examples:

The Injury Prevention Program

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Injury Prevention Program focuses on educating parents and caregivers about preventing common injuries in children under 12. Their resources include:

• Age-specific safety sheets
• Information on national safety campaigns
• Educational materials for healthcare providers and families

Safe Kids Worldwide

As a national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing unintentional injuries in children, Safe Kids Worldwide offers:

• Comprehensive safety tips for various environments and activities
• Product recall information
• Opportunities to get involved in local coalitions
• Research and advocacy efforts to improve child safety policies

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

The CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control serves as the federal government’s lead agency for injury prevention. Their resources include:

• Data and statistics on injury trends
• Evidence-based prevention strategies
• Information on national injury prevention initiatives and research

Su Familia (Your Family) Helpline

Sponsored by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, this toll-free helpline (1-866-SU FAMILIA or 1-866-783-2645) provides:

• Free, reliable, and confidential health information in Spanish and English
• Assistance in navigating the healthcare system
• Culturally competent support for Hispanic families

By utilizing these resources, families and communities can access expert guidance, stay informed about the latest safety recommendations, and contribute to broader injury prevention efforts.

As we continue to address the challenge of unintentional injuries in children, it’s crucial to remember that safety is an ongoing process. By staying informed, implementing preventive measures, and fostering a culture of safety awareness, we can work together to create safer environments for children to grow, learn, and thrive.

Injury Prevention and Safety | NCHH

In addition to the chronic health impacts of unhealthy housing such as lead poisoning, asthma, and cancer, unsafe housing conditions also interfere with the immediate health and well-being of children through unintentional injuries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in all children ages 1-21. However, there is a disparity in the rates that these accidental injuries are experienced. Individuals with low socioeconomic standing, especially urban African-American children, have historically experienced greater rates of injury. Additionally, male children also tend to experience a higher rate of injury.

Although the type of unintentional injury most likely to occur varies with the age of the child, Safe Kids Worldwide identifies fire, drowning, suffocation, choking, falls, unintentional firearm injury, and poisoning as leading causes of death in the home.

Reducing Risks

Although unintentional injuries are by definition accidental, there are basic precautions that can be taken in the home to help limit the conditions conducive to injury:

• Properly and consistently use safety devices such as smoke detectors, bicycle helmets, gates, and child-proof containers and latches.
• Actively supervise children’s activities, including continuously monitoring children while they are in or near water and generally restricting children’s access to areas containing potentially hazardous materials or objects.
• Keep other dangerous items out of children’s reach, such as knives, handles from pots on the stove, hot liquids, and cords to appliances and window treatments.
• Know and have accessible important phone numbers, such as emergency response teams, poison control, and family doctors.

Additional behaviors, such as refraining from cigarette smoking in the home, can reduce multiple health risks to children including chronic health impacts (asthma) as well as unintentional injury — residential fires caused by smoking materials (including cigarettes) are the leading cause of fire-related death.

Creating a safer home environment will serve not only to lower the risk of children’s unintentional injury, but also to assist in the establishment of an overall healthier home environment.

Injury Prevention Resources

The Injury Prevention Program
American Academy of Pediatrics’ Injury Prevention Program is an educational program that aims to prevent common injuries in children under 12 from sources such as poisons, falls, burns, vehicles, and more. Their website provides age-related safety sheets, national campaign information, and other educational resource.

Safe Kids Worldwide
A national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional injuries in children, SAFE KIDS also coordinates numerous state and local coalitions nationwide. The national website contains information on the campaign, safety tips, product recalls, and how to get involved in the various coalitions.

Unintentional Injuries in Childhood
The Future of Children published a special issue on potential safety hazards for children in 2000. An account is required in order to access the articles.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is the federal government’s lead agency for injury prevention. In addition to education and factual resources on injury, violent injury, and unintentional injury, their website provides information on national injury prevention and research activities.

Su Familia (Your Family) Helpline
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health sponsors this toll-free helpline (1-866-SU FAMILIA or 1-866-783-2645) to offer Hispanic consumers free, reliable, and confidential health information in Spanish and English and help navigate callers through the healthcare system.  |  En español: La National Alliance for Hispanic Health (Alianza Nacional para la Salud de los Hispanos) patrocina esta línea de ayuda gratuita (1-866-SU FAMILIA o 1-866-783-2645) para ofrecer a los consumidores hispanos información de salud gratuita, confiable y confidencial en español e inglés y ayudar a las personas que llaman sistema de cuidado de la salud.

Related

NCHH’s “Safety’s No Accident” blog series:

• Breysse, J. (2019, January 28). Safety’s No Accident: Make a New Year’s Resolution to Prevent Falls in Your Home
• Wilson, J. (2018, February 14). Safety’s No Accident: A New Year’s Resolution Has Us Buzzing about Alarms and Detectors.
• Wilson, J. (2018, March 7). Safety’s No Accident: A New Year’s Resolution Has Us Buzzing about Alarms and Detectors – Part 2: Dual-Sensor Alarms.
• Wilson, J. (2018, May 18). Safety’s No Accident: A New Year’s Resolution Has Us Buzzing about Alarms and Detectors – Part 3: CO Detector Price versus Function.

Additional NCHH safety blogs:

• Bloom, C. (2016, September 26). The Family that Smokes Together.
• Sarmiento, P. (2016, October 13). Hot Tips to Protect Your Home from Fires.
• Moreno-Hill, L. (2012, May 7). How to Prevent Clothes Dryer Fires in Your Home.

Water Safety – CDC

What do surfing, fishing, water skiing, and swimming have in common? They are all lots of fun…and they all take place in, on, or around the water! Water activities are a great way to stay cool and have a good time with your friends or your family. Take along these tips — and your common sense — to get wet, make waves, and have a blast!

Top Ten Tips

• DO learn to swim. If you like to have a good time doing water activities, being a strong swimmer is a must.
• DO take a friend along. Even though you may be a good swimmer, you never know when you may need help. Having friends around is safer and just more fun!
• DO know your limits. Watch out for the “too’s” — too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much hard activity.
• DO swim in supervised (watched) areas only, and follow all signs and warnings.
• DO wear a life jacket when boating , jet skiing, water skiing, rafting, or fishing.
• DO stay alert to currents. They can change quickly! If you get caught in a strong current, don’t fight it. Swim parallel to the shore until you have passed through it. Near piers, jetties (lines of big rocks), small dams, and docks, the current gets unpredictable and could knock you around. If you find it hard to move around, head to shore. Learn to recognize and watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents — water that is a weird color, really choppy, foamy, or filled with pieces of stuff.
• DO keep an eye on the weather. If you spot bad weather (dark clouds, lighting), pack up and take the fun inside.
• DON’T mess around in the water. Pushing or dunking your friends can get easily out of hand.
• DON’T dive into shallow water. If you don’t know how deep the water is, don’t dive.
• DON’T float where you can’t swim. Keep checking to see if the water is too deep, or if you are too far away from the shore or the poolside.

Water Wisdom:

Icy
If the water’s cold, a wetsuit can be your best friend. Wearing it will make you feel more comfortable, and you’ll keep your body temp from dropping to the danger zone.

Floaters vs. PFDs
Q: Can blow-up objects such as rafts work like life preservers?
A: Nope. Although they float, they won’t do the trick.

Did You Know?
Water covers 80 percent of the Earth!

Lifeline
If you see someone struggling in the water, go get help. You can also throw out a life preserver or other object that floats, BUT DO NOT JUMP IN YOURSELF! If you jump in without anyone else around, who will help save YOU if there is a problem?

Watch Out for Mother Nature…

Even if you are an Xpert, things that you can’t control can get you into trouble.

Look out for signs warning you that the water is not clean, because polluted water could make you sick. (And even if it is clean, try not to swallow it. Yuck!)

It’s also smart to keep clear of objects in the water like water plants and animals. They can cause problems for you so, if you see them — go the other way. (You’ve heard about what jellyfish and snapping turtles can do, right?)

Finally, if you’re outside, you need to guard against the sun. Those burning rays reflect off the water and sand onto you…and they can really spoil the fun! So, rub on some sunscreen to get sun proof.

The Deal on Water Parks

If you’ve ever been to a water park, you know that they are s-o-o much fun! Read these BAM! need-to-knows for having a great time on ride after ride.

Read all the signs before going on a ride. Make sure you are tall enough and old enough. Ask questions if you are not sure about how you’re supposed to go on the ride. (On most water slides, you should go down face up, arms crossed behind your head, and feet first with your ankles crossed.)

When you go from ride to ride, don’t run. It’s slippery!

Bumping into others on a slide can hurt. That’s why no “chains” of people are allowed on water rides. So, count five seconds after the rider ahead of you has gone before you take your turn.

Wear a life preserver — the park supplies it for a reason.

The Deal on Boating and Jet Skiing

Skimming over the water is a great ride. You probably aren’t driving a boat or jet ski yourself just yet, but they are lots of fun to ride with an adult! (Remember, they like to have fun too!) You and your parents can check the state rules for how old you have to be, and cruise through this boating site.

Stay alert! When you’re riding, keep a lookout for other boats, jet skiers, water skiers, divers, and swimmers. Who has the right-of-way? Generally, drivers should keep to their right when they are passing other boats — just like you do when you are walking in the hall at school.

Always ride at a speed that will let you stay in control so you can stop or go another way if you need to. It’s also not a good idea to jump wakes (tracks in the water left by other boats or jet skis) or speed through choppy water, because it’s easy to loose control.

Do not ride with a driver who has been drinking alcohol.

Make sure you know and practice what to do if someone falls out of the boat.

Some people teak surf (hold on to the back of the boat and then let go to ride the wave that the boat makes), but you shouldn’t copy them. Teak surfers get too close to the boat, don’t wear life jackets, and breathe exhaust fumes (chemicals) that the boat makes. Sounds like a bad idea to us…

There are a whole lot of ways to have a great time in the water. So, get out there and…

• Swim like a fish!
• Feel the rush of riding the rapids while white water rafting!
• Catch a wave! Go surfing!
• Break the wake!
• Make a splash! Try diving!

Injury prevention | Hospital 13

Injury prevention

Injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged 1 to 44 (15% of all deaths). About half of the deaths caused by injuries occur as a result of road accidents, the other half falls on domestic and outdoor injuries: falls, drowning, fire injuries, poisoning, suffocation, and accidents associated with the use of firearms and bladed weapons.

traumatism in everyday life and in nature. The death rate from falls in the middle-aged population is 5.1 per 100,000 people. Among the elderly, for whom complications such as a hip fracture can be severe, the death rate per 100,000 increases with age from 10.2 for those aged 65-74 to 147.0 for those aged 85 and over. Hip fracture is the most severe injury for the elderly. According to American statistics, 10-20% of people die six months after a hip fracture. In Russia – 70%. Approximately half of the normal functioning of the hip is not restored.

Approximately 15,000 Russians die every year as a result of drowning.

Fires are the third leading cause of death from unintentional injuries. The main cause of the fire is careless handling of fire, in particular, smoking in bed while intoxicated. According to statistics, 664 fires occur daily in the Russian Federation.

Unintentional poisonings account for 3,300 deaths each year.

The result of gunshot wounds is about 1800 unintentional deaths annually (5% of all deaths caused by the use of firearms) and 5 times more unintentional injuries.

What can be changed by influencing this factor?

Alcohol or other drug intoxication is considered an invariable risk factor for injury. In addition to its role in car accidents, which have been the most extensively studied, drunkenness is responsible for 40% of all deaths from fires and burns and 50% from drowning, boating and shooting accidents. The evidence that alcohol is associated with injury risk points to the need for advice on safe drinking.

900 02 Patients who drink alcohol should be warned not to engage in potentially hazardous activities while intoxicated. Clinically, it may be appropriate to provide advice on measures to reduce the risk of unintentional domestic or outdoor injuries from falls, drownings, fires or burns, poisoning, and gunshot wounds.

Drops

9 0005

Physical and environmental changes are major risk factors for falls in the elderly. Physiological risk factors include: lack of stability, disorders of the motor system, weakening of the muscles and musculo-articular sense, poor vision and drugs; to environmental risk factors – steps, uneven sidewalks and paths, slippery surfaces, poor lighting and inappropriate shoes. A hard surface, such as concrete, increases the likelihood of a fall breaking.

These risk factors form the basis for the main recommendations:

– Muscle Strengthening Exercises,

– Medication Management,

– Balance and Movement System Training,

– Tips for Eliminating Objects That May Trigger Falls.

Falls also occur among younger people. Most of them are associated with the state of intoxication. It is recommended not to leave a person who is in a state of severe intoxication alone and help him to get to bed.

Between 50 and 75% of deaths and hospitalizations result from head trauma. Potential clinician intervention includes advising cyclists and motorcyclists to wear a crash helmet and avoid motorways. The risk of head injury while cycling can be reduced by 80%. It is also known that safety helmets can reduce the chance of head injury among motorcyclists by 76%. Nearly 95% of cyclist deaths result from collisions with motor vehicles. It is recommended, if possible, not to ride a bicycle on highways, especially high-speed ones. Individual efforts by regional authorities to separate cyclists from the motorway, such as dedicated cycle lanes and lanes, have been successful in preventing cycling accidents.

Drowning.

People at increased risk of being injured on the water are young children (1 to 3 years old) and young men aged 15-24 years. Drowning is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Death on the water of adolescents and adults occurs under very different circumstances. Most of these incidents happen on lakes, rivers and ponds, and they are associated with activities such as swimming, various games, boating and rafting, fishing. Alcohol and other drug intoxication almost always accompanies both drownings and boating accidents; about half of all victims had significant blood alcohol levels and about 10% had signs of other drugs that affect the nervous system.

— The warning about the dangers of drunk bathing is certainly useful, but there is little research to support the effectiveness of this kind of clinical intervention.

– Learning to swim can serve as a certain guarantee of saving lives on the water, but this has not yet been convincingly proven by experts.

Fire and burns.

Fires and burns are the third leading cause of death from unintentional injuries. Most injuries and 75-90% of fire deaths occur at home.

— The most effective way to prevent fatalities in residential fires is a fire alarm. The statistics of the fire department convinces that the probability of deaths in fires increases by 2-3 times if such an alarm system is not installed in the houses.

– Smoking is the cause of 25% of house fires. Most often they occur with unintentional ignition of bed linen or furniture upholstery.

Therefore, it is suggested to discuss with patients how to get rid of the bad habits of careless smoking.

Poisoning.

The most common behavioral causes are poisoning with alcohol substitutes. Lethal outcomes as a result of poisoning with alcohol surrogates account for 13.4% of the statistics of the total mortality of the population in Russia from accidents. A therapist who interacts with patients who abuse alcohol has the ability to warn of danger. As a rule, individuals who use alcoholic substitutes are aware of their potential danger, but underestimate it. The most effective (at the first conversation on this topic) are stories about reliable specific deaths and the suffering of the patient preceding this.

Wounds from firearms.

The majority of victims of unintentional gunshot wounds are teenagers and young men; about 65-78% of these cases occur in or near the home. Over 90% of accidents involving children using firearms also took place in homes. All possible preventive measures to prevent gunshot wounds (for example, advising firearm owners to keep their firearms unloaded and always in lockable cabinets, as recommended by gun control legislation) can be effective, but they are not yet well understood.

Effectiveness of recommendations. The most effective tool for dealing with injuries is passive intervention, i.e. one that does not expect that the potential victim will voluntarily abandon the norm of behavior that has become habitual for her. Examples of passive intervention include revised building codes to prevent falls per se, and placing medicine containers at heights that are out of the reach of children. In view of the fact that clinician consultations on injury prevention require the active participation of the patient in their implementation (not smoking in bed, checking the batteries in the fire alarm), it can be argued that their effectiveness is practically limited. Therefore, it is not surprising that the results of research on injury control indicate that consultation becomes effective when it is indispensably combined with other measures that improve safety compliance.

Unintentional injuries are the main reason for the likely reduction in life expectancy in the Russian Federation.

Clinicians should strongly advise people who use alcohol or other drugs not to engage in activities that may increase risk (eg, driving, swimming, boating, handling firearms, smoking in bed, cycling), in a state of intoxication. It is also advisable to make specific recommendations to patients at risk of certain injuries in everyday life and in nature, to combat injuries.

– Patients who are addicted to smoking and unable to quit should be advised not to smoke near bedding or upholstery.

– Homeowners should be advised to install fire alarms in proper locations and test them periodically to ensure proper operation.

– Firearms must be stored unloaded in closed cabinets.

— Cyclists should be advised to wear safety helmets and avoid riding on motorways.

– Boating enthusiasts should be advised to strictly follow the rules of safe boating and wear life-saving equipment on the water.

– Elderly people or those in charge of them should be advised to check that the rooms in the house are adequately lit and to remove or repair those parts of the stairs or floor that can cause them to trip (sliding rugs, electrical wires, toys) , and install handrails and strips to improve the cordon in bathtubs and stairs.

– Clinicians treating the elderly should periodically check their visual acuity, give advice to patients suffering from a movement disorder.

5 rules for injury prevention | Solutions at RBC+ Ekaterinburg

Injury is one of the top three causes of death in the Russian Federation. According to statistics, injuries are on the third line after cardiovascular diseases and oncology.

The causes of injuries are most often banal: people forget or ignore safety rules. Professor Kirill Berdyugin, Deputy Director for Research at the Ural Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, recalls injury prevention.

— Kirill Aleksandrovich, is it true that residents of the Sverdlovsk region often get injured?

— The level of traumatization of the population in the Sverdlovsk region does not exceed the average for Russia. It’s just that there are certain types of injuries, one way or another connected with the nature of life in the Sverdlovsk region, which, perhaps, are more developed in our country than in the whole country. We are an industrial region, so there are elements of industrial injuries. We have a fairly large number of cars, so accidents are quite common. We have a city with high-rise buildings, and, accordingly, there are, of course, more injuries associated with falling from a height than in an area where there are simply no such buildings. Separately, there is a sports injury, because in our region the direction of playing sports is extremely developed, including its a priori traumatic types, these are football, hockey, sambo, boxing and others.

— Based on the types, categories of injuries, surely the prevention is appropriate?

— The issue of injury prevention always causes a slight smile among people, because when we talk about road accidents, first of all, it is the observance of traffic rules. It is impossible to come up with anything more banal, but more effective, because two parties are involved in traffic – a motorist and a pedestrian. A pedestrian must cross the road at a green traffic light in a permitted place, and a motorist must observe the speed limit, buckle up in a car, etc. The rules are simple, but they can effectively avoid accidents and prevent road injuries.

At the same time, every day we ourselves see situations when, for example, some grandmother crosses the road through four lanes of a fairly fast moving vehicle. Well, what is it? This, of course, is the way to a bed in the trauma department. Schoolchildren near schools cross the road in a place convenient for them, and not at a dedicated pedestrian crossing, which is near each educational institution.

If we are talking about sports injuries, there is also quite a lot of it in the Sverdlovsk region. I wanted to make such a remark here: while I was standing on the porch, seven cyclists passed by. And all were without helmets and elbow pads. Motorcyclists passed without helmets and without protection.

If we talk about skateboards, roller skates, bicycles, skateboarders must wear elbow pads, a helmet, knee pads. Elementary means that allow you to effectively prevent injury.

As for household injuries, which are also very common, the reasons are trivially simple – do not walk on slippery floors, attach the edge of the carpet to the floor, have comfortable shoes, usually seasonal, in which it is difficult to fall. If we are talking about occupational injuries, this is generally a separate conversation, because when a person has been working in production for many years, at some point he loses control over compliance with safety regulations. And it seems that you, having worked with the Bulgarian for 20 years, became her master.