Optimal use of resources for the treatment and prevention of injuries

Injuries are an important cause of mortality and morbidity. Although accide ntal injury rates have been declining throughout the twentieth century in t he UK, this pattern has been variable. For example, in young adults aged 15 -24 years there has been no improvement and, when deliberate injuries are i ncluded, the picture is worsening. Although there is little evidence that r oad traffic accident case fatality rates have been improving, there is some evidence that improvements in trauma care have been responsible for reduci ng injury death rates in children. Thus, although there have been considera ble successes in the primary prevention of accidents, and the secondary pre vention of injuries in accidents, there is an important role for tertiary p revention, that is in the prevention of avoidable outcomes through good tra uma care.