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Biomedical subjects

J Sibert

Publications and source records attributed to J Sibert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Secondary school accident reporting in one education authority.

BACKGROUND: Secondary schools appear to have very different accident rates when they are compared on the basis of accident report returns. The variation may be as a result of real differences in accident rates or different reporting procedures. This study investigates accident reporting from secondary schools and, in particular, the role of the school nurse. METHODS: Accident form returns covering a 2-year period were collected for statistical analysis from 13 comprehensive schools in one local education authority in Wales. School sites were visited in the following school year to obtain information about accident records held on site and accident reporting procedures. RESULTS: The main factors determining the number of school accident reports submitted to the education authority relate to differences in recording and reporting procedures, such as the employment of a nurse and the policy of the head teacher/safety officer on submitting accident returns. Accident and emergency department referrals from similar schools may show significant differences in specific injuries and their causes. CONCLUSIONS: The level of school accident activity cannot be gauged from reports submitted to the education authority. Lack of incentives for collecting good accident data, in conjunction with the degree of complacency in the current system, suggest that future accident rates and reporting activity are unlikely to change.

Accidents↗
PubMed2002

Injuries in public and private playgrounds: the relative contribution of structural, equipment and human factors.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this case-control study was to identify and quantify risk factors of injuries in playgrounds, where children spend an increasing amount of time in developed countries. The study took place in Greater Athens during 1999. A continuous Emergency Departments Injury Surveillance System (EDISS) of hospitals that cover about 30% of the children's time at risk in Greater Athens identified 777 injuries in public and private playgrounds out of a total of 17 497 injuries. Public playgrounds differ from private ones, because the former generally have more equipment, usually of greater height, with less resilient surfaces, and supervision relies mainly on parents or guardians. Patterns of type of playground use were assessed in a sample of 294 children from the same study base who served as a control group in a hierarchical case-control design. The annual incidence of playground injuries in Greater Athens was about 7 in 1000 among boys and 4 in 1000 among girls, with a 2.2 times higher risk for an injury in public than in private playgrounds (95% confidence interval 1.61-3.07). Children in public vs private playgrounds had a statistically significant eight times higher odds for concussion and six times higher for open wounds, whereas the odds for long bone fractures were four and for other fractures two; swings, slides and seesaws were the types of equipment most frequently associated with injuries. It was further shown that supervision of children was suboptimal (< 60%) in both public and private playgrounds, and children in private playgrounds sustained an unduly high frequency of sprain/ dislocation injuries (odds ratio 1.75) because they were encouraged to play bare-footed. CONCLUSION: Close to 50% of playground injuries could be prevented by structural and equipment changes, while further reduction could be accomplished through simple measures including closer supervision and encouraging children to wear proper shoes and use protective equipment whenever necessary.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2002

Primary school accident reporting in one education authority.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown a correlation between increased accident rates and levels of deprivation in the community. School accident reporting is one area where an association might be expected. AIMS: To investigate differences in primary school accident rates in deprived and more affluent wards, in an area managed by one education authority. METHODS: Statistical analysis of accident form returns for 100 primary schools in one education authority in Wales over a two year period, in conjunction with visits to over one third of school sites. RESULTS: Accident report rates from schools in deprived wards were three times higher than those from schools in more affluent wards. School visits showed that this discrepancy was attributable primarily to differences in reporting procedures. One third of schools did not report accidents and approximately half did not keep records of minor accidents. CONCLUSIONS: The association between school accident report rates and deprivation in the community is complex. School accident data from local education authorities may be unreliable for most purposes of collection.

Accidents↗
PubMed2002

Development and use of a population based injury surveillance system: the all Wales Injury Surveillance System (AWISS).

This report details the development and use of a population based emergency room surveillance system in the UK. Despite some difficulties in accessing high quality data the system has stimulated a considerable number of research and intervention projects. While surveillance systems with high quality data collection and coding parameters remain the gold standard, imperfect systems, particularly if population based, can play a substantial part in stimulating injury prevention initiatives.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2001

Changes in sports injuries to children between 1983 and 1998: comparison of case series.

BACKGROUND: Sports injuries sustained by children are worrying because they prevent and deter participation in physical activity. Before we can address such injuries we need to understand the size of the problem and whether there have been changes in occurrence. A study of sports injuries to children, carried out in a Cardiff Accident and Emergency department in 1983, provided the data against which to compare data gathered in 1998. METHODS: Data on all sports injuries to children aged 16 and under treated between September and December 1998 were compared with those reported for the same hospital, age group, injury and period in 1983. RESULTS: A total of 953 injuries were treated in 1998, representing an increase of 54 per cent [95 per cent confidence interval (CI) 44-64 per cent]. The male:female distribution remained constant and the majority of injuries were due to rugby and soccer. The number of females injured playing rugby and soccer increased and a wider range of sports led to injuries for both males and females. Amongst 10-15-year-olds injury risk increased from 1 in 78 for boys in 1983 to 1 in 22 in 1998 (p < 0.0001). For girls, the increase was from 1 in 117 to 1 in 55 (p < 0.0001). The number of soccer- and rugby-related fractures increased by 52 per cent (95 per cent CI 22-87 per cent). CONCLUSIONS: Sports injury rates have increased considerably over 15 years. With minimal population change, little variation in minor injuries and only small improvements in data capture, the main reason for change appears to be increased participation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Safe Child Penarth: experience with a Safe Community strategy for preventing injuries to children.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the process of establishing a Safe Community project for children. DESIGN: A descriptive study. SETTING: Penarth, a town (population 20,430) Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. SUBJECTS: 3943 children and their families in Penarth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Whether the 12 criteria for a Safe Community project (World Health Organisation) were met. Implementation of the safety agenda set by the community. RESULTS: Safe Child Penarth met 10 of the 12 criteria for the Safe Community network. All the items on the agenda were introduced in the initial two years of the project. There were difficulties, however, achieving sustained community ownership of the project. CONCLUSIONS: The Safe Community concept stimulated work to improve child safety in Penarth. Community safety initiatives should involve all local agencies to identify the problems and work with the community to set and meet the safety agenda. Partnership with the local authority is valuable to improve the safety of the environment. The experience generated from Safe Child Penarth has been used to develop a county wide, all age community safety project.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1997

Safety of surfaces and equipment for children in playgrounds.

BACKGROUND: The safety of playgrounds is important to protect children from injury, but studies are mostly done mainly under laboratory conditions without epidemiological data. We investigated the safety of different playground surfaces, and types and heights of equipment in public playgrounds in the City of Cardiff, UK. METHODS: We did a correlational study of 330 children aged between 0 and 14 years. All children were hurt when playing in playgrounds in Cardiff and presented to the Accident and Emergency Department in Cardiff Royal Infirmary during summer (April to September) 1992 and 1993, and the whole of 1994. We studied the children's hospital records to establish the type of injury and interviewed their parents to find out the playground and type of equipment involved. The main outcome measures were the number of children injured whilst playing, and injury rates per observed number of children on different surfaces, types, and heights of equipment. FINDINGS: Children sustained significantly more injuries in playgrounds with concrete surfaces than in those with bark or rubberised surfaces (p < 0.001). Playgrounds with rubber surfaces had the lowest rate of injury, with a risk half that of bark and a fifth of that of concrete. Bark surfaces were not significantly more protective against arm fractures than concrete. Most injuries were equipment related. Injury risk due to falls from monkey bars (suspended parallel bars or rings between which children swing) was twice that for climbing-frames and seven times that for swings or slides. The height of the equipment correlated significantly with the number of fractures (p = 0.005) from falls. INTERPRETATION: Rubber or bark surfacing is associated with a low rate of injuries and we support their use in all public playgrounds. Bark alone is insufficient, however, to prevent all injuries, particularly arm fractures. Rubberised impact-absorbing surfaces are safer than bark. We believe that playing on monkeys bars increases the risk of injury in playgrounds and that they should generally not be installed. Safety standards should be based on physical and epidemiological data. Our data suggest that the proposed raising of the maximum fall height from 2.5 m to 3.0 m in Europe is worrying.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1997

Childhood accidents: epidemiology, trends, and prevention.

Accidents are the most common cause of death in children over one year of age. Prevention remains a high priority. We have reviewed the current epidemiology of childhood accidents and their prevention, and made recommendations for the future. In 1992, 559 children died in United Kingdom as a result of an accidents--240 from road traffic accidents and 100 from burns and scalds. Every year 50 children drown. Accidents cause significant disability to children. Many children, up to one in four of the population in urban areas, attend accident and emergency departments, and 5-10% of these are admitted to hospital. Accident risk factors include low social class, psychosocial stress, an unsafe environment, and child developmental disorders. Research has shown that prevention is best achieved by making the child's environment safer, often through legislation. Insufficient resources have been put into both research into childhood injuries and preventive work in communities. Collaboration between health authorities, NHS trusts, local authorities and community networks is vital if success is to be achieved. A national safety agenda for children would focus the attention that this problem deserves.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1993

The natural history of congenital myotonic dystrophy: mortality and long term clinical aspects.

Although the genetic basis of the congenital form of myotonic dystrophy has recently been clarified, data as to outcome in terms of life expectancy and morbidity are scanty. Life table data based on a cohort of 115 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of congenital myotonic dystrophy are presented. The data suggest a 25% chance of death before 18 months of age and a 50% chance of survival into the mid-30s. The profile of disease and complications among survivors is also charted.

Adolescent↗