Citation

Nakahara S, Jayatilleke AU, Ichikawa M, Marasinghe A, Kimura A, Yoshida K. Inj. Prev. 2008; 14(2): 106-112.

Affiliation

Department of Preventive Medicine, St Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/ip.2007.016824

PMID

18388231

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To address the increasing number of injuries in developing countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages the establishment of hospital-based surveillance systems and systematic data collection. Although a computerized system is preferable in terms of efficiency, many developing countries have difficulty accessing the appropriate resources. OBJECTIVES: To assess the possibility of comparing and sharing data among countries, and then to discuss the possibility of establishing an international data management system through the internet. METHODS: A point-by-point comparison of data directories from injury surveillance systems in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Japan was conducted using guidelines published by WHO as the standard. RESULTS: Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka used data items that are comparable to each other and to WHO guidelines, with few, readily amenable, differences. The Japanese system used quite different data items. CONCLUSIONS: Data comparability suggests the feasibility of a global data management system that can store data from various countries. Such a system, if made accessible over the internet, would benefit resource-constrained countries by providing them with a ready-made framework to implement a surveillance system at low cost.

Language: en