Practical solutions for injury surveillance at mass gatherings.

INTRODUCTION: Public safety at mass gatherings is the responsibility of multiple agencies. Injury surveillance and inter-agency communication are pivotal to ensure continued public safety. OBJECTIVES: The principal objective of this pilot study was to improve the identification of trends and patterns of injury presentations at mass gatherings. This was achieved through an electronic process for data gathering to support timely reporting of injury data. In addition, what evolved was the development of an inter-agency communication model to support information transfer. METHODS: An Electronic Injury Surveillance System was created and piloted at two mass gatherings in South Australia. Live, real-time data were collected via customized software supported by electronic report generation. RESULTS: The Injury Surveillance System captured data on 181 injured patients and assisted in the identification of trends and patterns of presentations. The relevant injuries and patterns of injuries were reported to the appropriate organizations based on pre-defined communication models. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot study demonstrated that it was possible to perform "live", portable injury surveillance during patient presentations at two mass gatherings. The Injury Surveillance System ensured immediate data capture. Well-defined communication systems established for this pilot also enabled early action to rectify hazards. Further development of electronic injury surveillance should be considered as an essential tool for managing public safety at mass gatherings.

What are the first quality reports from the Transition Care Program in Australia telling us?

Transition Care is a new program in Australia, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments. Implementation is undertaken by state health departments, in some cases through aged care organisations, against a set of key requirements. This paper examines reports from providers to reveal enablers and barriers to compliance with the requirements and to highlight emerging patterns of practice. The first 23 self-reports were content analysed. Person-centred and goal-orientated care was evidenced. General practitioner, pharmacist and geriatrician involvement in care planning and review was low. While service agreements between Transition Care services, referring hospitals and community providers improved the efficiency of information transfer and discharge arrangements, these were rare, hindering entry and discharge from the program. Transition Care offers older people a flexible model of care. While the flexibility of the model is a strength, service providers are struggling to achieve integration with existing services.