ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISABILITY: THE NEGLECTED DISEASE OF MODERN SOCIETY

THE RESULTS OF A THREE YEAR STUDY ARE SUMMARIZED BY CHARACTERIZING ACCIDENTAL INJURIES AS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE FIRST HALF OF LIFES SPAN. IN 1965, 52 MILLION ACCIDENTAL INJURIES KILLED 107,000, TEMPORARILY DISABLED OVER 10 MILLION AND PERMANENTLY IMPAIRED 400,000 AMERICAN CITIZENS AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY 18 BILLION. MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS CAUSED 49,000 DEATHS IN 1965. THE PRESENT STATUS OF INITIAL CARE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AFFORDED TO THE VICTIMS OF ACCIDENTAL INJURY WAS REVIEWED. THESE STUDIES INCLUDE REVIEWS OF AMBULANCE SERVICES, VOICE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AND INTENSIVE CARE UNITS OF HOSPITALS, AND APPRAISAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH IN SHOCK, TRAUMA, AND RESUSCITATION. A SUMMARY OF THESE DELIBERATIONS AND NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO REDUCE ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISABILITY ARE ASSEMBLED. THE STUDY RECOMMENDED INCREASED FEDERAL AND VOLUNTARY FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH IN TRAUMA, LONG-TERM FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF SPECIALIZED CENTERS FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH IN WAR WOUNDS. IT ALSO RECOMMENDED EXPANSION, WITHIN THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, OF RESEARCH IN SHOCK, TRAUMA AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONDITIONS, WITH THE GOAL OF ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TRAUMA.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9978
• Corporate Authors:

  National Academy Sciences

  /Div of Medical Sciences
  ,   United States 
• Publication Date: 1966-9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Crash investigation; Crashes; Disasters and emergency operations; Emergency vehicles; Fatalities; Hazards and emergency operations; Hospitals; Injury characteristics; Research; Resuscitation; Shock (Mechanics); Studies
• Old TRIS Terms: Disabling injury
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219883
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 20 1994 12:00AM