A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem
Drowning is a major global public health problem. Effective prevention of drowning requires programmes and policies that address known risk factors throughout the world. Surveillance, however, has been hampered by the lack of a uniform and internationally accepted definition that permits all relevan...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The World Health Organization
2005-11-01
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| Series: | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862005001100015&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1797282066781437952 |
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| author | E.F. van Beeck C.M. Branche D. Szpilman J.H. Modell J.J.L.M. Bierens |
| author_facet | E.F. van Beeck C.M. Branche D. Szpilman J.H. Modell J.J.L.M. Bierens |
| author_sort | E.F. van Beeck |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drowning is a major global public health problem. Effective prevention of drowning requires programmes and policies that address known risk factors throughout the world. Surveillance, however, has been hampered by the lack of a uniform and internationally accepted definition that permits all relevant cases to be counted. To develop a new definition, an international consensus procedure was conducted. Experts in clinical medicine, injury epidemiology, prevention and rescue from all over the world participated in a series of "electronic" discussions and face-to-face workshops. The suitability of previous definitions and the major requirements of a new definition were intensely debated. The consensus was that the new definition should include both cases of fatal and nonfatal drowning. After considerable dialogue and debate, the following definition was adopted: "Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid." Drowning outcomes should be classified as: death, morbidity, and no morbidity. There was also consensus that the terms wet, dry, active, passive, silent, and secondary drowning should no longer be used. Thus a simple, comprehensive, and internationally accepted definition of drowning has been developed. Its use should support future activities in drowning surveillance worldwide, and lead to more reliable and comprehensive epidemiological information on this global, and frequently preventable, public health problem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:06:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2543d32e23804668814ee70f610fcf26 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0042-9686 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:06:33Z |
| publishDate | 2005-11-01 |
| publisher | The World Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| spelling | doaj.art-2543d32e23804668814ee70f610fcf262024-03-03T02:32:39ZengThe World Health OrganizationBulletin of the World Health Organization0042-96862005-11-018311853856S0042-96862005001100015A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problemE.F. van Beeck0C.M. Branche1D. Szpilman2J.H. Modell3J.J.L.M. Bierens4Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum RotterdamCenter for Disease Control and PreventionDrowning Resuscitation CenterUniversity of FloridaUniversity Medical Center Free UniversityDrowning is a major global public health problem. Effective prevention of drowning requires programmes and policies that address known risk factors throughout the world. Surveillance, however, has been hampered by the lack of a uniform and internationally accepted definition that permits all relevant cases to be counted. To develop a new definition, an international consensus procedure was conducted. Experts in clinical medicine, injury epidemiology, prevention and rescue from all over the world participated in a series of "electronic" discussions and face-to-face workshops. The suitability of previous definitions and the major requirements of a new definition were intensely debated. The consensus was that the new definition should include both cases of fatal and nonfatal drowning. After considerable dialogue and debate, the following definition was adopted: "Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid." Drowning outcomes should be classified as: death, morbidity, and no morbidity. There was also consensus that the terms wet, dry, active, passive, silent, and secondary drowning should no longer be used. Thus a simple, comprehensive, and internationally accepted definition of drowning has been developed. Its use should support future activities in drowning surveillance worldwide, and lead to more reliable and comprehensive epidemiological information on this global, and frequently preventable, public health problem.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862005001100015&lng=en&tlng=enAhogamientoVigilancia epidemiológica |
| spellingShingle | E.F. van Beeck C.M. Branche D. Szpilman J.H. Modell J.J.L.M. Bierens A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem Bulletin of the World Health Organization Ahogamiento Vigilancia epidemiológica |
| title | A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem |
| title_full | A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem |
| title_fullStr | A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem |
| title_short | A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem |
| title_sort | new definition of drowning towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem |
| topic | Ahogamiento Vigilancia epidemiológica |
| url | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862005001100015&lng=en&tlng=en |
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