Citation

Langley JD, Cryer C. Inj. Prev. 2000; 6(1): 73.

Affiliation

Injury Prevention Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand; Seiph Health and Health Care Group, Kings College London, Oak Lodge, David Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TG, UK

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/ip.6.1.73

PMID

10628924

PMCID

PMC1730539

Abstract

In a recent edition of Injury Prevention, Leonard and colleagues argue that the monitoring of recent changes in bicycle road safety policy in Scotland require “accurate measurement to generate robust findings” (p303).1 Regrettably what they propose, “a national computerised data collection system for all A&E [accident and emergency] departments” (p304), will not meet their specification. This is primarily because there would be many cyclists who do not attend A&E who have injuries of similar anatomical or physiological severity to those that do attend. There is evidence that the probability of attendance at A&E depends on factors other than injury occurrence, including demographic and access factors such as distance from hospital.2–4 Equally important is that delivery of A&E services may change within and across providers over time in response to changes in health service policy and practice....

1) Leonard PA, Beattie TF, Gorman DR. Under representation of morbidity from paediatric bicycle accidents by official statistics—a need for data collection in the accident and emergency department. Inj Prev 1999;5:303–4.