Australian and New Zealand journal of public health
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Aust N Z J Public Health · Aug 1998
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialOutcome evaluation of an emergency department protocol of care on partner abuse.
To evaluate the impact of a protocol on partner abuse (PA) at increasing identification and improving acute management of abused women by emergency department (ED) staff. ⋯ Implementation of this protocol resulted in a moderate increase in confirmed cases of abuse and improved the acute management offered to identified victims. The findings reinforce recommendations for widespread implementation of training and protocols to address partner abuse.
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Data on bicycle injury presentations at a public hospital emergency department for 1991-95 inclusive were analysed to determine the nature and extent of bicycle injuries in the community. There were 599 bicycle injury presentations during the study period, representing more than 2.0% of all injury-related presentations to the emergency department. The main outcome measures were severity and type of injury. ⋯ The majority (83.1%) of head injuries in children under 10 years of age occurred off-road and helmet use was lowest in this group (28.6%). Given previous evidence that helmet use can prevent head injuries, strategies to increase helmet use among cyclists, particularly young children, while riding both on and off-road, should be given a high priority. Rider-only injuries are also an important public health issue.