TY - JOUR T1 - Preventing unintentional injuries: what does NICE guidance mean for primary care? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 62 LP - 63 DO - 10.3399/bjgp12X625012 VL - 62 IS - 595 AU - Denise Kendrick AU - Mike Hayes AU - Heather Ward AU - Julie Mytton Y1 - 2012/02/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/62/595/62.abstract N2 - Unintentional injuries are the second most common cause of child death, accounting for one in seven deaths between the ages of 1 and 14 years.1 These deaths represent just the tip of the iceberg. Every year, around 100 000 children are admitted to hospital2 and 2 million attend emergency departments.3 How many seek treatment only from their GP is not known.The impact of injuries on children, their families, and society can be considerable. The immediate effect of an injury is pain, followed by the psychological trauma of having to visit hospital, and loss of enjoyment of everyday activities such as play. But children can also be left disabled and disfigured, and lose education, potentially affecting the rest of their lives. Caring for an injured child can cause family breakdown and loss of employment, as well as having immediate economic consequences. Society has to bear the costs of treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term support.Unintentional injuries are often thought of as accidents, but they are not random, unpredictable events as the term accident implies. We can identify children at risk of injuries and the injuries they are likely to suffer. Those from disadvantaged families are at greatest risk.4 Not surprisingly, the types of injuries experienced are strongly related to a child's stage of development. For example, the more active children become, the more likely they are to run and trip, and climb and fall; the exploratory stage of child development results in children putting objects in their mouth leading to choking and poisoning. Copying adult tasks, such as food preparation, can lead to lacerations and burns.GPs and primary health care teams (PHCTs) have multiple opportunities to contribute to injury prevention and these are highlighted in three … ER -