7.D. Workshop: Data, tools and methodologies on injury burden in Europe: current limitations and future directions

Globally, injuries cause over 4.3 million deaths per year with incalculable costs for the health, legal, and social systems. Many countries have adopted metrics to monitor the burden of injury but the complexity behind data collection, data management and analysis remains high and this affects the usability of data in prevention efforts. Most of the countries in Europe still lack the systems for accurate and comprehensive data collection on the burden of injuries and this increases the gap between data availability, data quality and usability. Even in countries with advanced data collection systems, there is considerable methodological variation across injury parameters and disability calculations, which introduce uncertainty and bias in the estimations of injury burden. Recent studies conducted by the COST Action CA18218 (European Burden of Disease Network) and the KFV (as part of the IDB network) identified different levels of country-level preparedness among the various European regions in terms of collection and management of data on the burden of injury. However, efforts to harmonize injury outcomes remain inconsistent and insufficient, specifically for certain injury populations and health outcome domains. Latest research emphasizes the lack of adequate epidemiological data on the burden of injuries and urges governments to prioritize investment in well-designed injury data management systems. Several studies acknowledge the methodological challenges that need attention for health systems to generate “valid data” that will allow governments to prioritize areas for intervention and maximize the impact of their resources. Coding systems currently used to classify injuries vary considerably, resulting in less homogenous calculations in terms of injury severity and duration. Matching variables, records and data sources, ensuring independence while addressing heterogeneity and population coverage are demanding tasks, which require commitment from a variety of stakeholders, allocation of sufficient resources and a strong political will. It seems more critical than ever to introduce rigorous methodological processes, modern and valid tools and assessments and robust analysis systems to facilitate decision-making processes for injury policy formulation across European regions. A main goal of the workshop is to highlight the importance of “valid data” in policy making and turn the attention towards “evidence-based strategies” for reducing the incidence and consequences of injury. The workshop will describe the latest developments in injury severity classification and disability measurements. Limitations of injury measurement, analysis and reporting will be identified as well as factors introducing uncertainty and potential bias in estimation of the burden of injury. Modern, validated measures that are feasible and usable in both research and clinical contexts will be presented and success stories from Europe will be shared to provide valuable lessons for other regions and countries. KEY MESSAGES: • Validated and easy to use measures and data linkage is crucial to enhance comparability of burden of injury estimates across Europe. • Strengthening data collection systems is critical to better understand the injury patterns.