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Name of the Community:Fyn County
Country: Denmark
Number of inhabitants: Approx. 500,000
Programme started year: 1975
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 2001
Info address on www for the Programme: No (later this year)
Info address on www for the county: www.fyns-amt.dk
 
History
Focus on accidents and injuries has been of major concern during
the last 50 years or so in the Odense region. The idea of preventing new patients coming
to the accident & emergency department was of major interest to surgeons in the
orthopaedic department at the hospital in Odense in the fifties and sixties headed by Dr.
Jensenius and later in the 70'ies Dr. Erik Nordentoft who actively formed the Accident
Analysis Group. Which in the beginning played a major role in the development of the
current Nomesko injury registration principle.
Involvement in the Nordic comparative traffic research during the
seventies and early eighties marked a further development. Of particularity since 1976 has
been the computerisation of the systems as part of the normal patient registration system
a major strength for the work in various aspects of the injury arena. From the early years
the local co-operation with the, playing an important role in the planning process of
traffic routes in the local region.
"Is it all success and glory?" - one might ask after
having read the above. No certainly not, the history is full of short time funding
situations, impossibilities of continuing development and problems in recruiting skilled
personnel as in all other areas. But somehow the interest has lasted - most likely because
of the never-vanishing appearance and influence of accidents and injuries in society.
With the continuing commitment, the ¼-½ century lasting tradition of
injury and accident prevention based on registration as an integrated part of the hospital
patient information system the county now wishes to add our efforts to the framework of
the WHO - Safe Community Network.
We hope to be able to give and gain in a mutually inspiring
co-operation in the efforts of reducing the burden on society and individuals following
injury and accidents.
The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:
For the age group:
Children 0-14 years:
By the end 80'ies another regional effort commenced as "Safety for
Active Children" having set as a primary goal to reduce injuries among children with
25 % by the year 2000. Typical of this effort is the co-operation between the county (the
regional health nurse), the university (inst. of general practice), the local general
medical practice, primary health professionals, teachers, parents and other persons
involved in child health. This goal was reached at the evaluation in 2000.
One aspect of childrens growing is the problem of mastering body
movement. A particular effort has been extended throughout the schools in an effort to get
all children - including those not mastering physical activity – to be more active.
Youth 15-24 years:
Traffic injury preventive methods in cooperation between a local hospital, secondary
schools , police and parents organisations in trying to tackle a number of tragic traffic
deaths resulting from high speed driving. Also specific campaigns aiming at reducing the
number of roller-skate injuries and the yearly firework prevention campaign is aimed at
his age.
Adults 25-64 years:
Workplace interventions as part of the normal procedures in work place safety are
targeting these age groups as well as particular traffic area campaigns to lower speeds
and avoid drinking and driving.
Elderly 65+ years:
Many activities have focused on elderly – in particular cross sectorial work with
implementation of training and focus on physical activity in the local setting. A major
task has been to develop principles for quality assuring of training such that focused
intervention can take place. At the local level cooperation between public and private
organisations are active in facilitating social- as well as specific activities in getting
the elderly active. E.g. active walking groups, senior dancing and group training.
At the following environments:
Home:
Kindergarten nurses instructs parents in avoiding scolding injuries and other injuries
to children.
Traffic:
All along the years there has been an active involvement from the traffic planning
authorities, among other very specific accomplishments the re-introduction of round-abouts
as a road crossing setup has diminished traffic injury conflicts by at least 25-30 %. The
County and about half of the 32 municipalities have engaged in coordinated traffic safety
plans.
Development work has been initiated in collaboration between the three
major hospitals of the county and the local municipalities on developing and using data
from the hospitals in the local priority setting in road planning.
Occupational:
Integrated in the professional are is the activities to reduce number of work-place
injuries and accidents.
School:
In particular firework injury and health promotion activities are bundled activily
with the injury prevention activities for the children.
Sports:
Courses in various sports disciplines on sportsinjury treatment and prevention is now
a natural part of the ongoing course structure for trainers and instructors.
Intentional injuries in the following injury areas:
Violence prevention:
A local initiative in collaboration between the police and the schools are working at
getting a better violence protecting procedures, but the good story is that (despite
notices in the press) the incidence of violence is more or less stable over quite some
years. Althoug small in number one alarming difference has been a rice in elderly people
getting their bags stolen resulting in falls and severe injuries.
Suicide prevention:
Suicide behaviour preventive work is carried out by the County Center for Prevention of
Suicides.
Programs aiming at "High risk-groups":
Worth mentioning here is the prevention and coordination against falls among elderly and
the efforts in raising the amount of physical activity among children.
Surveillance of injuries: At all three county hospitals. The emergency
departments.
Numbers per year: 80.000
Population base: 520.000
Started year: Odense 1975 (Accident Analysis Group). Svendborg and Middelfart
1999 (Country Initiative on Accident Prevention).
Publications: (Scientific)
Several publications (>150), doctoral thesis (2) and ph.d. thesis (4) over the years.
Available separately (Contact ulykkes.analyse.gruppen@ouh.dk)
Yearly reports on injury contacts to emergency room available since approx. 1980.
Produced information material, pamphlets:
Various pamplets on topics within prevention of childrens accidents, physical activity
among elderly, methods for quality assurance of preventive work among elderly an others.
Staff
Most staff is integrated in other functions in the county. E.g. registration personnel at
the emergency departments, social workers, teachers in schools etc.
Professions: part-time as well as full-time
Permanent: Yes for some. No for others.
Temporary: Yes for some. No for others.
Organization:
Specific intersectoral leadership group: yes
General public health/health promotion group: yes
International commitments:
Study visits:
Several international groups have visited the registration site at the Odense University
Hospital -–the Accident Analysis Group.
Participation in Safe Community conferences:
Harstad, Latrope, Bangladesh. International conferences in injury prevention and safety
promotion (Stockholm, Atlanta, Melbourne, Amsterdam, New Delhi).
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: SafeComm Nord-4 2001 in collaboration with
Vejle County. Abstract
book
Hosting "Travelling Seminars": No
Other: Active participation in development of the NOMESKO classification of
injury. Teaching at Baltic-Nordic seminar on injury prevention.
Development of freeware dataentry program for windows (windows implementation of Epi
Info v6 principles – see Http://www.epidata.dk)
For further information contact:
JM.Lauritsen
Funen County – Dept. of Prevention and Health Services (AFS)
Ørbækvej 100
Odense SØ
Denmark, DK-5220 SØ
Phone: +45 65561228
Fax: +45 6556 1205
E-mail: afs@afs.fyns-amt.dk
_______________________________________
Download the application report:
 Fyn,
Denmark- Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network
Updated by  Moa
Sundström, 2002-10-29 14:38.
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