American journal of preventive medicine
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Medical information systems during past military deployments had limited injury surveillance capability as data were not accessible during deployments and did not capture causes of injury. This paper describes nonbattle injury (NBI) results from an ongoing surveillance program that identifies injury occurrences and causes during deployments for Operations Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). ⋯ Routinely collected air evacuation records provided the basis for ongoing injury surveillance for Iraq and Afghanistan. NBI was the largest category of evacuations from both operations. Leading NBI causes were similar to those identified for previous deployments and many should be preventable.
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Injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality confronting U. S. military forces in peacetime or combat operations. Not only are injuries the biggest health problem of the military services, they are also a complex problem. ⋯ The purpose of this paper is to: (1) review the steps of the public health process for injury prevention; (2) review literature on evaluation of the scientific quality and consistency of information needed to make decisions about prevention policies, programs, and interventions; and (3) summarize criteria for setting objective injury prevention priorities. The review of these topics will serve as a foundation for making recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of injury prevention efforts in the military and similarly large communities. This paper also serves as an introduction to the other articles in this supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that illustrate the recommended systematic approach.