Implementing the national priorities for injury surveillance

Rebecca J. Mitchell*, Rod J. McClure, Ann M. Williamson, Kirsten McKenzie

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

• Injury is a leading cause of disability and death in Australia and is recognised as a national health priority area. • The foundation of successful injury prevention is injury surveillance, and national policies and strategies developed over the past 20 years to reduce the burden of injury in Australia have included 22 recommendations on surveillance - only three of which have been completely implemented. • Priorities for improving injury surveillance include: improving current injury mortality and morbidity data collection systems; filling the gaps in injury surveillance; maintaining vigilance over data quality; increasing the integration and accessibility of injury data; developing technical expertise in surveillance. • Barriers to implementation of the current National Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Plan include the lack of an implementation plan, performance management structure, appropriate national governance structure and resources - all of which could be overcome with government commitment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)405-408
Number of pages4
JournalMedical Journal of Australia
Volume188
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - 7 Apr 2008
Externally publishedYes

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