Injury Control
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2008 Spring Newsletter Article
INJURY CONTROL SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
Through the Injury Control SIG we: 1) present highlights on new injury control findings or research methodology; 2) allow injury control researchers to discover new resources to aid their work; and 3) foster collaboration among injury control researchers.
The Injury Control SIG will meet again in Honolulu during the PAS meetings (Tuesday, May 6, 2008 0700-1000 am). Our keynote speaker is Dr. Val Kalei Kanuha, from the University of Hawaii, discussing her research on interpersonal violence with special emphasis on the methods she uses working with Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities. We will also feature a panel of local injury experts to help us place injury prevention in a Hawaiian context. And, of course, we will be presenting our annual trainee research award. Don’t miss this session!
New SIG Co-Chairs
One important item of business at the next meeting will be selection of new co-chairs for the Injury Control SIG. If you are interested in this position – or know of someone who might be – please send a note to Shari Barkin, MD, MSHS (shari.barkin@vanderbilt.edu ) or Brian Johnston, MD, MPH (bdj@u.washington.edu ). We will accept nominations until the start of the SIG meeting in Honolulu.
Highlight on new injury control finding or research methodology.
Causal diagrams or “directed acyclic graphs” are a useful tool for specifying the relationship between variables in an observational study. Mapping these relationships has distinct advantages: it forces clarity in describing the role of moderating and mediating variables; it identifies situations in which control of potential confounders may introduce, rather than remove, bias; and it promotes transparency in the selection of an analytic plan. In the most basic sense, use of causal diagrams forces decisions about analysis to be based on clinical or contextual understanding of the relationship among variables.
A useful overview is Glymour MM. Using causal diagrams to understand common problems in social epidemiology in Methods in Social Epidemiology, Oakes M, and Kaufman J, eds. Jossey-Bass. (2006). For an example of the use of this approach in an injury study, see Paulson EH, Gerberich SG, Alexander BH, et al. Fall-related injuries among agricultural household members: Regional Rural Injury Study II (RRIS-II). J Occup Environ Med. 2006 Sep;48(9):959-68
New resources
Looking for the evidence base of injury control? The Cochrane Injuries Group (http://www.cochrane-injuries.lshtm.ac.uk/) conducts and publishes systematic reviews covering the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of traumatic injury, including the emergency resuscitation of seriously injured and burned patients. There are currently 79 completed reviews from this work group. The Injuries Group welcomes new members as authors, reviewers or editors.
Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Victimization Assessment Instruments for Use in Healthcare Settings is a compilation of existing tools for assessing intimate partner violence in clinical settings. The compilation provides a current inventory of screening and assessment tools for use with specific populations. Available from the CDC NCIPC online at http://www.cdc.gov/NCIPC/pub-res/ipv_and_sv_screening.htm
Upcoming Meetings
Ninth World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, Safety 2008. March 15-18, 2008. Merida, Yucatan, Mexico (http://www.safety2008mx.info/)
2008 Joint Annual Meeting of STIPDA & CDC Core State Injury Grantees “Give Them Something to Talk About: Making Our Messages Stick” Oklahoma City, OK. April 20-23, 2008 (http://www.stipda.org/)
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Shari Barkin MD
Department of Pediatrics
8232 Doctors Office Towers
2200 Children's Way
Nashville, TN 37232-9225
shari.barkin@vanderbilt.edu
Brian D. Johnston MD
Chief of Pediatrics
Harborview Medical Center
325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359774
Seattle, WA 98104
206-341-4607 (P)
206-731-8610 (F)
bdj@u.washington.edu
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