Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability among people under age 35 in the United States. Despite great strides in injury prevention over the decades, injuries result in 150,000 deaths, 2.6 million hospitalizations, and 36 million visits to the emergency room each year.

Reducing the Burden of Injury describes the cost and magnitude of the injury problem in America and looks critically at the current response by the public and private sectors, including:

• Data and surveillance needs.
• Research priorities.
• Trauma care systems development.
• Infrastructure support, including training for injury professionals.
• Firearm safety.
• Coordination among federal agencies.

Contents

• COMMITTEE ON INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL
• Acknowledgments
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Executive Summary
  • The Injury Field
  • The Mission and the Boundaries of the Injury Field
  • Surveillance and Data Needs
  • Prevention Research
  • Case Studies on Prevention
  • Trauma Care
  • State and Community Response
  • Federal Response
  • Coordination and Leadership
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 1. The Injury Field
  • Study Background
  • Origins of the Injury Field
  • Injury as a Public Health Problem
  • The Mission and Boundaries of the Injury Field
  • Vocabulary of the Injury Field
  • Development of the Injury Field
  • Organization of the Report
  • References
• 2. Magnitude and Costs
  • Overall Burden of Injury: Mortality Rates
  • Overall Burden of Injury: Morbidity
  • Patterns of Injury in the Population
  • The Cost of Injury
  • References
• 3. Surveillance and Data
  • Coding Issues
  • Existing Data Sources
  • Data Linkages
  • Summary
  • References
• 4. Prevention Research
  • Research Accomplishments
  • Research Opportunities
  • Summary
  • References
• 5. Case Studies on Prevention
  • Motor Vehicle Injuries
  • Firearm Injuries
  • Summary
  • References
• 6. Trauma Care
  • Overview of Trauma Care Systems
  • Role of Trauma Systems in Primary Prevention, Surveillance, and Research
  • Growth in Trauma Care Systems
  • Outcomes of Trauma Care Systems
  • Research on Treatment Outcomes and Clinical Effectiveness
  • Costs of Trauma Care Systems
  • Financing of Trauma Systems
  • Advent of Managed Care
  • Summary
  • References
• 7. State and Community Response
  • Strengthening the Public Health Infrastructure
  • Collaboration and Coalition Building
  • Training and Technical Assistance
  • Integrating Research and Practice
  • Public Awareness and Advocacy
  • Summary
  • References
• 8. Federal Response
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  • Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Maternal and Child Health Bureau
  • Office of Justice Programs
  • National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  • Coordination and Leadership
  • References
• 9. Challenges and Opportunities
  • Coordination and Collaboration
  • Strengthening Capacity for Research and Practice
  • Integrating the Field
  • Nurturing Public Support
  • Promoting Informed Policy Making
  • References
• Appendixes
  • A Acknowledgments
  • B Timeline
  • C Public Meeting Agenda
  • D Acronyms

Support for this project was provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views presented are those of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Injury Prevention and Control and are not necessarily those of the funding organization.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

The Institute of Medicine was chartered in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to enlist distinguished members of the appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. In this, the Institute acts under both the Academy's 1863 congressional charter responsibility to be an advisor to the federal government and its own initiative in identifying issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.