Injury Epidemiology

Michael A. Kelsh

Injury epidemiology involves characterization of occurrences of injuries, identification of risk factors, and the evaluation of prevention programs for injuries. Although the term injury could refer to almost any adverse health event, this term is generally used to refer to damage to human tissue resulting from exposure to energy delivered in excess of the threshold that human biological systems can tolerate. This excess transfer can occur during exposure to various forms of energy, including mechanical, chemical, electrical, and ionizing and nonionizing radiation. Injuries may also occur as a result of errant medical interventions and, in the case of strangulation or drowning, could result from the lack of an element vital to the body (i.e., oxygen). Injuries are often classified as either intentional (homicide, suicide, violence) or nonintentional (falls, motor vehicle crashes, burns, lacerations, strains, and cumulative trauma). Injury epidemiology is applied in various diverse environments such as the workplace, The ...

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