Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention, edited by Lynda S. Doll, Sandra E. Bonzo, James A. Mercy, and David A. Sleet. (Elizabeth N. Haas-Managing Editor.) 2007. New York: Springer Science+Business Media

ISBN: 978-0-387-85769-5 softcover;

ISBN: 978-0-387-25924-6 hardcover;

e-ISBN: 978-0387-29457-5.

I may as well be upfront about this. When the Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention came out in 2007, I did not rush out to buy it. My shelf was already well stocked with just about every previous injury-related text that had come out. As a practicing emergency medicine physician, a professor at a school of public health and an injury advocate with more than 20 years of experience in the trenches, I felt quite satisfied that the last thing I needed was another injury textbook.

Well, would you not know it; I get an e-mail asking me to review the one text I did not have. What do I do? Well, I jumped at the opportunity to review it but from an entirely different perspective.

I wanted to review it on the basis of a month's experience of day-to-day activities in the injury arena. In other words, for a month, I kept track of just how helpful this book has been to me as I encountered a variety of injury-related issues.

While preparing for a keynote presentation to the oil and gas industry on transportation-related injuries, I found chapter 4 titled "Interventions to Prevent Motor Vehicle Injuries" to be a particularly well-written and useful resource. Figure 4.1 Annual vehicle miles traveled and motor-vehicle-related deaths set the stage beautifully. Coupled with Table 4.1 Evidence Table for Selected Motor-Vehicle-Related Public Health Interventions, I was able to bring the audience a wealth of information on what works and what does not regarding reducing motor-vehicle-related injuries.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for what I believe to be one of the most neglected aspects of transportation injury that is developing before us: the use of wireless communication devices while driving. While preparing for a presentation at a National Safety Council Conference on Distracted Driving, I could not find any mention of cell phones and driving in the Handbook. Hopefully, the second edition of this text will cover this area, as I am sure that there will be a second edition.

While preparing an Injury in Alberta report, I turned to the first 2 chapters of the Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention for ideas. The authors made a compelling case for the injury problem and easily convinced me that they had assembled an impressive and credible team of authors to answer many of the pressing questions that would face anyone with an interest in injury control. The theme of theory to science to effectiveness emerges early and is sustained throughout the Handbook.

Next, I wanted to see if a graduate-level injury control course that I give could use the Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention as a required course text. The Handbook's 29 chapters divided into 5 parts more than covered the breadth and depth of my course syllabus except for a lecture on acute care systems. This book would make a complete reference and also comes in 3 versions, a soft cover, a hardcover, and an e-version.

The Handbook does an excellent job covering topics such as residential fires, recreational injuries, falls in seniors, alcohol-related injuries, violence prevention, and drowning. One topic that was missed that I had the opportunity of commenting on in the media was the issue of seat belts in school buses. Following a cluster of school bus-related crashes in which fatalities had occurred, the media and the public were searching for answers. I referred to the Handbook and did not find any mention of this topic. Fortunately, a quick Google search found the National Coalition for School Bus Safety with an excellent Web site.

Then, working closely with occupational health and safety specialists, I was asked to help them better understand what we mean when we talk about "safety culture." Although the Handbook does not have a chapter devoted specifically to occupational injuries, there was significant material that was very helpful in helping them understand some concepts in "Behavioral Interventions for Injury and Violence Prevention" (chapter 22) and "Developing and Implementing Communication Messages" (chapter 24).

I found chapter 27, "Involving the Community in Injury Prevention," particularly useful as background material for a presentation to a local municipality safety meeting. The 3 case studies were well designed and easily understood and motivated the audience.

By now, I no longer needed an excuse to visit the Handbook.

Soon, I was enjoying reading chapters that were diverse and refreshing. "Building Resilience to Mass Trauma Events," "Developing Interventions When There Is Little Science," "Dissemination, Implementation, and Widespread Use," and "Encouraging Adoption of Science-Based Interventions" are but some examples of why this Handbook will now sit on my shelve where it belongs.

If the purpose of a book review is to let you, the reader, know if you should go out and read this book, then my advice to you is simple. Do not make the mistake I did: I waited too long to benefit from this well-written and valuable addition to the injury literature.

Get it, read it, enjoy it, and join us in saving lives.

Louis Hugo Francescutti, MD, PhD, MPH, FRCPC, FACPM

Emergency Physician-Royal Alexandra Hospital, University of Alberta CSB 13-130E, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G3

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