1040 Innovations in hospital-based partnerships in safety and injury prevention: developing interdepartmental collaborations

Abstract

BackgroundInjury prevention professionals are part of a complicated system that works collectively to address injury prevention through development, implementation, participation in and evaluation of an injury prevention program. While the responsibilities of an Injury Prevention Manager (IPM) are vast, and often accompanied by minimal support or funding - the need for extensive reach of injury prevention programs remain. Understanding the causes for injury and prevention frameworks, theories, curriculum development, evaluation, research and program implementation are critical for both the departments success in addressing injury prevention and safety campus-wide.MethodsWe conducted a gap analysis of safety and injury prevention measures in the hospital to include internal/external outreach and educational needs, programmatic capacity and staffing deficits. We determined the parameters of injury prevention manager’s and safety officer’s roles in cross fertilisation and involvement in activities based on a review of national norms, focus groups and key informant interviews. We also convened hospital-based taskforce and community stakeholders to refine the roles and scope of injury prevention priorities for the hospital.ResultsBased on these findings, program priorities were set to reflect the following:Develop innovative approaches utilising non-traditional partnerships and networks;Engage Office of Safety and Security to participate in related trainings and obtain required certifications in injury prevention;Collaborate with the Office of Safety and Security on injury prevention internal activities to include patient safety measures (child passenger safety), staff safety, (seat belt and pedestrian safety) and environmental modifications/enhancements to improve safety/injury prevention capacity (resources, trainings)Develop new systems to provide childhood safety information to patients and families;Develop creative strategies and partnerships to address resource gaps that will provide program support externallyConclusionsWhile the Injury Prevention Manager is responsible for developing, implementing and identifying injury prevention programming for patients, families and community; we believe that enhancing injury prevention occurs through sharing best practices and programs and building meaningful partnerships to sustain programmatic reach, establish policy and practice and improve patient and community education. Unfortunately, the impact/reach of these internal partnerships are often limited to hospital-based initiatives if external/community-based priorities unsupported. Elevating the magnitude and critical nature of injury prevention through interdepartmental engagement to secure ongoing support are among the highest priorities for injury prevention managers, particularly trauma centres.The unique partnership with the Injury Prevention Department and Office of Safety and Security yielded significant outcomes for both the hospital and community-at-large. As a result, more than 8 members from both departments h...