Childhood injuries in Israel--current status and the role of the community pediatrician]

In Israel, as in other developed countries, injury is a major problem in children's health. Injuries are a main cause of morbidity and mortality of children in all age groups, both genders, Jews and Arabs and is also a Leading cause of disability and loss of potential life years. In Israel, every year injuries account for 144 child deaths, approximately 24,000 hospitalizations and about 182,000 ED visits, and it is estimated that about half of all Israeli children sustain an injury requiring primary medical care in the community. The vast majority of those injuries are unintentional. The leading cause of child death from injury is traffic accidents, while home and Leisure accidents are common causes for children's hospitalization due to injury. The death rate is higher among children from low socioeconomic clusters compared to high socioeconomic clusters. Between 2000 and 2008, there was a decrease in child death rates from injury and unintentional injury. Intervention programs involving the safety education of parents by community pediatricians showed effectiveness in increasing safe behaviors and prevention of child injuries. In Israel several programs for injury prevention are implemented in the health system, including parents' education in well-baby clinics for child safety by nurses. Since the community pediatrician is a significant factor in parents' decisions regarding their child's health, it is recommended that he will also educate them concerning child injury prevention.