Evidence basis for injury prevention in Northwestern Russia: a study from the Population-based Shenkursk Injury Registry

Abstract

Injuries are the important public health problem worldwide. Good-quality injury data are necessary for the development of effective prevention. The Shenkursk Injury Registry (SHIR) was established in the Shenkursk District, Northwestern Russia in 2015. The SHIR covers all injuries for which medical aid is given at the Shenkursk central district hospital (CDH). Overall aim was to provide an evidence basis for injury prevention in the Shenkursk District using SHIR data. The completeness, representativeness, and reliability of SHIR data were assessed using a sample of 1696 injuries that occurred in the period between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016. The circumstances and mechanisms of non-fatal accidental fall injuries and the associations between accidental outdoor fall injuries (AOFIs) and weather conditions were investigated in the period between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2018. The completeness of the SHIR with respect to the coverage of cases treated at the Shenkursk CDH was 86%. Two independent data entries from standard paper injury registration forms showed a 79% to 99% agreement. Dwellings, homestead lands, and other nearby outdoor areas constituted the most common injury sites (48% of total injuries). The majority of injuries in the SHIR were the result of accidents (88%), predominantly falling (42%). Fall injuries were most commonly associated with climbing onto or down from home furnishings, play equipment, or stairs, and a loss of balance (64%) in the preschool age group, with physical exercise (36%) in the school age group. The most frequent accident mechanism in the working (32%) and elderly (37%) age groups was slipping on an ice-covered surface. The highest risk of AOFI was observed in the cold season (15 October–14 April) on days with a combination of medium air temperature (-7.0C – -0.7C), medium/high precipitation (≥0.4 mm), and a ground surface covered with compact or wet snow. SHIR data are applicable for epidemiological research and can serve as an evidence basis for the development of a diversity of injury prevention measures in the Shenkursk District.