National Injury Prevention Day 2023

Every year on July 5^th, Canada acknowledges National Injury Prevention Day (NIPD). Lead by Parachute Canada, a national charity dedicated to injury prevention with the goal of helping all Canadians live long lives to the fullest, NIPD is a day to raise awareness about the importance of injury prevention and the devastating effects of predictable and preventable injuries.

Injuries can be intentional or unintentional and include violence, falls, motor vehicle collisions, suicide and self-harm, drowning, poisoning, sport-related injury, etc. Both intentional and unintentional injuries vary in their degree of severity, but often lead to emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, disability, and sometimes death.

Injuries in Canada
Injuries are predictable and preventable events. Across Canada, injuries impact individuals from every walk of life and every age, and are the cause of death of 48 Canadians every day. Injuries are the number one cause of death for people ages 1 to 34 and the number four cause of death overall. Injuries also create significant costs to the Canadian health system through, ED visits, hospitalizations, rehabilitation, and ongoing medical care that can place a substantial burden on healthcare resources.

NIPD brings attention to the importance of preventing injuries and promoting safety in our daily lives. It serves as a reminder of the personal impact of injuries on both the individual, their family, community, and society as a whole.

Prevention works
According to Parachute Canada, over the past decade there have been fewer injury-related deaths. This is due in large part to better policies, products and increased education and awareness efforts. This includes the development and implementation of public health programs, identified by the Ministry of Health, to support injury prevention based on assessments of local needs. Effective programs and policies for injury prevention include safer road design, enforcement of regulations and policies to reduce injury such as eliminating body checking in youth hockey, and increased awareness of best safety practices such as wearing life jackets when swimming and boating.

The Government of Canada also provides several resources for injury prevention at home and outdoors, including safety tips for sport participation, boating, safety and swimming and water safety. They also lead the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program which is an injury and poisoning surveillance system that collects and analyzes data on injuries to people who are seen at in the ED in pediatric and general hospitals across Canada.

By prioritizing injury prevention through education, creating safe environments, implementing supportive policies, and empowering individuals, we can work towards reducing the incidence of injury in Canada.