By Shelly Warmack, MSN, R.N., CEN, St. Luke’s Health System
If you’ve spent any time outdoors, driving in your car, engaging in organized sports or physical activities, chances are you’re aware of the potential for traumatic injury. Trauma can happen at any time in your life and does not discriminate. It is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
Trauma is defined as an injury to living tissue caused by an extrinsic agent. It is classified as intentional or unintentional. Trauma is further classified into categories:
• Blunt (Motor vehicle accident, assault or a fall)
• Penetrating (gunshot wound, stabbing)
• Thermal (fire, blast, electrical)
Trauma accounts for 59 percent of all deaths among people ages 1–44 years old in the United States. That represents more deaths than non-infectious diseases and infectious diseases combined. Traumatic death is the number one cause of death for those 1–44 and the number four cause of death for those 45 and older. Motor vehicle crashes and falls lead the cause of traumatic death in the United States.
Traumatic injury comes at great costs to communities, emotionally and fiscally, and prevention should be of the utmost concern to individuals, as well as local, state, national and world leaders. What can we do to help prevent or minimize trauma?
• Commit to safe behaviors
– Seatbelts
– Zero distracted driving
– Firearm safety practices
– Protective gear
– No impaired activities or driving
– Discard or lock controlled substance medications
– Prepare your home to minimize accidental falls
• Become involved
– Solicit your lawmakers to pass common-sense prevention
bills
– Take a first-aid course/Stop The Bleed course/CPR course
– Volunteer to help prevent suicide/assault/violence in your
community
• Stay Informed
– Be aware (situational awareness)
– Have open/honest discussions with loved ones and
communities about risky behaviors
– Seek out information and share safety lessons with friends
and family
• Stay healthy
– Maintain healthy body weight and proper nutrition
– Keep chronic medical problems under control
– Get preventative care to identify problems early
It’s your life.
We help you live it.
