Global Injury Prevention

Injury is a global problem.  Every day, the lives of more than 14,000 people worldwide are cut short as a result of an injury. This translates in five million injury deaths each year. These deaths account for 9% of the world’s deaths, nearly 1.7 times the number of fatalities that result from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are the leading cause of death worldwide among those aged 15 to 29 years and are predicted to go from its standing as the 9th leading cause of death currently to the 7th leading cause of death in 2030.

The millions of deaths that result from injuries represent only a small fraction of those injured. Tens of millions of people suffer injuries that lead to hospitalization, emergency department, or general practitioner treatment, or treatment that does not involve formal medical care. University of Michigan Injury Center members are working to help address the burden of injury on a global scale.  These activities also provide an opportunity for an international experience for trainees.

Brazil

Denise  G. Tate, PhD, Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Associate Chair for Research of PM&R, is leading investigators from the Medical School , the School of Public Health, and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in a collaboration with the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

This collaboration includes research on building common metrics in rehabilitation care through the development of common datasets for spinal cord injury as well as improving assessments of the elderly to determine competence for driving motor vehicles. Tate and collaborators recently published a paper on Clinics on driving evaluation methods (Clinics 2015).

Additional Research and Training Opportunities

A spectrum of injury-related research has been conducted through the Collaborative including descriptive studies, trauma outcome studies, and development of a trauma registry.  Dr. Rocky Oteng, Instructor in Emergency Medicine at University of Michigan, conducted developed the trauma registry and conducted the trauma outcome study during his year as a Fogarty Research Fellow. His current focus of injury research in Ghana is the treatment and prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Recently a University of Michigan M-4, Andrew Gardner, completed a Fogarty Research Scholarship that consisted of a prospective observational to determine the frequency of positive alcohol tests and alcohol misuse among trauma patients in the ED. Current injury-related research foci of the collaborative are the treatment and prevention of TBI treatment and prevention of alcohol and drug related injuries and the prevention of Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs).

Additionally, researchers at the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center created a healthcare student and provider training on identification and response to intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence against women in low-to-middle-income countries. The violence against women (VAW) training was developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), Johns Hopkins University, and an international advisory board. The knowledge- and skills-building training was adapted from the WHO Clinical Handbook on Health care for women subjected to IPV or sexual violence, published in 2014. The training emphasizes effective communication skills and first-line support using the LIVES response: Listen, Inquire, Validate, Enhance Safety, and Support. The training is made up of 8 modules including IPV survivor story, discussion, and role-play to simulate provider-patient interaction. The training package includes a facilitator’s guide, slides, and handouts for participants.