Two decades of nonfatal injury data: a scoping review of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program, 2001-2021.

BACKGROUND: Injury is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the USA. Ongoing surveillance is needed to understand changing injury patterns to effectively target prevention efforts. Launched jointly in 2000 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) provides national-level estimates of US emergency department visits for nonfatal injuries. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted to characterize how NEISS-AIP data have been used for injury surveillance in the USA. MAIN BODY: This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Three bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar) were systematically searched for English language peer-reviewed articles that used NEISS-AIP data as the primary data source during 2001-2021. Key article characteristics from included articles were abstracted to generate descriptive summary statistics to understand the use and limitations of NEISS-AIP for injury surveillance. Database queries returned 6944 citations; 594 citations were manually reviewed, and 167 non-duplicate journal articles were identified. An average of 8.0 articles (range: 1-14) were published annually during 2001-2021. Articles appeared in 72 different journals representing a diverse audience with the majority of articles written by CDC authors. Starting in 2013, a higher proportion of articles were published by non-CDC authors. The largest number of articles examined injury among all age groups (n = 71); however, the pediatric population was the specific age group of greatest interest (n = 48), followed by older adults (n = 23). Falls (n = 20) and motor-vehicle-related injuries (n = 10) were the most studied injury mechanisms. The most commonly identified limitation identified by authors of reviewed articles was that NEISS-AIP only produces national estimates and therefore, cannot be used for state- or county-level injury surveillance (n = 38). CONCLUSIONS: NEISS-AIP has contributed to nonfatal injury surveillance in the USA. CDC and CPSC continue to work together to expand and enhance NEISS-AIP data collection. Researchers are encouraged to continue using this publicly available dataset for injury surveillance.

Leveraging data science to enhance suicide prevention research: a literature review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to identify how data science is applied in suicide prevention literature, describe the current landscape of this literature and highlight areas where data science may be useful for future injury prevention research. DESIGN: We conducted a literature review of injury prevention and data science in April 2020 and January 2021 in three databases. METHODS: For the included 99 articles, we extracted the following: (1) author(s) and year; (2) title; (3) study approach (4) reason for applying data science method; (5) data science method type; (6) study description; (7) data source and (8) focus on a disproportionately affected population. RESULTS: Results showed the literature on data science and suicide more than doubled from 2019 to 2020, with articles with individual-level approaches more prevalent than population-level approaches. Most population-level articles applied data science methods to describe (n=10) outcomes, while most individual-level articles identified risk factors (n=27). Machine learning was the most common data science method applied in the studies (n=48). A wide array of data sources was used for suicide research, with most articles (n=45) using social media and web-based behaviour data. Eleven studies demonstrated the value of applying data science to suicide prevention literature for disproportionately affected groups. CONCLUSION: Data science techniques proved to be effective tools in describing suicidal thoughts or behaviour, identifying individual risk factors and predicting outcomes. Future research should focus on identifying how data science can be applied in other injury-related topics.

Community Assessments for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPERs)-US Virgin Islands, 2017-2018.

Objectives. To assess preparedness levels of communities to help public health and others plan for disasters or emergencies and tailor messaging to increase community preparedness.Methods. US Virgin Islands Department of Health conducted a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in June 2017, 2 hurricane response CASPERs in November 2017, and a recovery CASPER in February 2018. CASPER is a 2-stage cluster sampling method designed to provide household-based information about a community's needs in a timely, inexpensive, and representative manner.Results. Roughly the same amount of households reported having a 3-day supply of food and water before and 3 months after the hurricanes. During the response, approximately a third of households resupplied between 3 and 6 days and an additional approximately 40% between days 7 and 14.Conclusions. On the basis of the CASPERs, we were able to track whether households had an emergency preparedness kit, whether they used it during the storms (and what was missing), and if they resupplied their kit in recovery.Public Health Implications. CASPER is a promising tool to measure community preparedness to help state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions plan for disasters or emergencies.

An International Comparison of the Instigation and Design of Health Registers in the Epidemiological Response to Major Environmental Health Incidents.

CONTEXT: Epidemiological preparedness is vital in providing relevant, transparent, and timely intelligence for the management, mitigation, and prevention of public health impacts following major environmental health incidents. A register is a set of records containing systematically collected, standardized data about individual people. Planning for a register of people affected by or exposed to an incident is one of the evolving tools in the public health preparedness and response arsenal. OBJECTIVE: We compared and contrasted the instigation and design of health registers in the epidemiological response to major environmental health incidents in England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States. DESIGN: Consultation with experts from the 5 nations, supplemented with a review of gray and peer-reviewed scientific literature to identify examples where registers have been used. SETTING: Populations affected by or at risk from major environmental health incidents in England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States. METHODS: Nations were compared with respect to the (1) types of major incidents in their remit for considering a register; (2) arrangements for triggering a register; (3) approaches to design of register; (4) arrangements for register implementation; (5) uses of registers; and (6) examples of follow-up studies. RESULTS: Health registers have played a key role in the effective public health response to major environmental incidents, including sudden chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear, as well as natural, more prolonged incidents. Value has been demonstrated in the early and rapid deployment of health registers, enabling the capture of a representative population. CONCLUSION: The decision to establish a health register must ideally be confirmed immediately or soon after the incident using a set of agreed criteria. The establishment of protocols for the instigation, design, and implementation of health registers is recommended as part of preparedness activities. Key stakeholders must be aware of the importance of, and protocols for, establishing a register.Agencies will find value in preparing and implementing registers as part of an effective public health response to major environmental incidents, including sudden chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear incidents, as well as natural, more prolonged incidents.