Accidents don't just happen: New Book on trends and takeaways in injury research

Two esteemed researchers in the field of injury research have published the most comprehensive reference book to date on the methods and approaches underpinning the scientific discipline of injury control and prevention.

Editors Guohua Li, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Susan Baker, MPH, ScD (Hon.), professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health– both leaders in the field -- have brought together a team of global experts from public health, medicine, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences to write about the latest advances in theories and methods for understanding the causes, mechanisms, and outcomes of injury as well as the strategies to prevent injuries.

Called a milestone and a "bedrock text" for researchers by the publisher, Springer, this is an essential reference book for anyone interested in violence prevention, emergency medical services, trauma care, risk assessment, crash investigation and litigation, and vehicle, occupational, recreational, and home safety. The cadre of leaders assembled by Dr. Li, who is also professor of Anesthesiology at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Professor Baker deliver a state-of-the-art picture of where the field of injury research stands.

The 36 chapters are written by some of the most accomplished researchers in the world. The book allows the reader to appreciate how far the field of injury research has come since its beginning, as reflected by the following:

Injury is no longer considered a result of bad luck; it is not simply an "act of god".

Injury is predictable, preventable, and treatable, and even in a crash, fall, or shooting, there are effective interventions to lessen the risk, severity, and outcome of an injury.

Injury is now widely recognized as a health problem, and in the field of public health and medicine, the word accident is avoided by mentioning the crash, poisoning, fall, or other injury-producing event.

Injury is the subject of rigorous inquiries and interventions from multiple disciplines.