Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention
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Multicenter Study
The emergency department approach to violently injured patient care: a regional survey.
Since the early 1990s public health workers have challenged healthcare practitioners to take an active role in violence prevention with patients aged 10-24 years. Emergency department (ED) clinicians are uniquely positioned to identify, assess, and refer youth involved in violent events. The objective of this study was to describe ED directors' estimate of the number of violently injured youth seen, the presence of established protocols or guidelines for handling youth violence, and the type of training programs offered to ED physicians regarding this issue. ⋯ To address the prevention of youth violence, EDs need specific training programs for ED staff, as well as systematic risk assessment and referral resources for structured intervention and follow up.