MOTORCYCLE HELMET USE - AN ANNOTATED-BIBLIOGRAPHY

As the United States grapples with health care reform, prevention of i njury promises to improve health without raising taxes or necessitatin g the rationing of care. Motorcycle injuries consume a disproportionat e share of health care costs related to motor vehicle trauma.(1,2) How ever, the role of helmet use for prevention of injury associated with motorcycle trauma is underrecognized by the public. Although motorcycl e helmets are an effective method of preventing head injuries in motor cycle crashes, a surprising 25 states still do not have comprehensive motorcycle helmet legislation.(3) Emergency physicians (EPs) can be ef fective advocates for injury control. As practicing physicians, we mus t educate our trauma patients in injury prevention, because we may be their only physicians. As experts in trauma, we may be called upon to provide information and expert testimony for the media, legislators, o r policy makers. The following annotated bibliography provides a synop sis of the latest medical research on motorcycle helmets and should be valuable to the EP advocating for injury prevention. The bibliography was derived from a MEDLINE search conducted over 1989-1994, using the MeSH headings of motorcycle helmets and motorcycle trauma. The articl es were reviewed and selected for inclusion based on their scientific methodology and contribution to the existing medical literature on the subject.