The Canadian Injury Prevention Curriculum (CIPC) was first introduced in 2004 by the Canadian Collaborating Centres for Injury Prevention (CCCIP), supported by funding from Health Canada. This curriculum was developed in response to the need for training and certification in injury prevention, considering the growing awareness regarding the burden of injury in Canada. A one-day workshop run in Alberta titled Injury Prevention 101 was the foundation for the CIPC. Injury Prevention 101 provided practitioners with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and evaluate injury prevention programs. The CCCIP recognized that this type of strategy used across Canada could help establish a stronger network of injury prevention practitioners, encourage a more scientific, evidence-based approach to the selection of intervention strategies, and ensure adequate dissemination and evaluation of programs. The field of injury prevention has grown significantly in Canada over the past 60 years. The number of practitioners trained with the CIPC is nearing 1500 and through collaboration within this growing network, it became evident that there is a need for a resource dedicated to injury prevention in Canada. Through feedback from the network, it was important that this resource reflect the Canadian experience. Further, it would address the realities of prevention within a Canadian social and political context, as well as the diverse geography and populations including Canada’s distinct Aboriginal population. Participants of the CIPC also identified the need for a resource to support their learning and practice of injury prevention. Due to Canada’s size, there was also the need to create an accessible resource for injury prevention practitioners and other professionals across an extremely large geographical area; therefore, the most appropriate and cost effect format for this resource would be on-line. Sixty-one authors from across Canada,* representing a range of disciplines, were invited to provide a comprehensive overview of each of the areas of injury prevention highlighted in this resource. The resulting synthesis covers important facets of injury prevention research, policy and programming, all of which encompass the art and science of injury prevention. A multi-disciplinary editorial committee with representatives from across Canada provided on-going direction and guidance to the development of the resource. Funding support came from the CCCIP and the Public Health Agency of Canada and overall management and coordination of the resource was provided by Parachute. This resource is organized into an introduction and four sections. Section 1 provides an overview and describes the need for an injury prevention resource within the broader public health context in Canada. In this introductory section, the successes and challenges in the field of injury prevention in Canada will be discussed, the relationship between unintentional and intentional injury will be presented, and the burden of injury in Canada will be described. Section 2 covers the Canadian Good Practice Model, which is a model that describes how to identify community injury issues, address priority issues, and develop, implement and evaluate injury prevention programs. Case studies are used throughout this section to illustrate the use of the Model. Section 3 describes the influence of the determinants of health on injury, and the mechanisms of injury. Section 4 focuses on specific injury topics written by leading Canadian experts. These experts provide brief overviews of each injury topic and highlight the current state of evidence regarding interventions wherever possible. These overviews are meant to be a starting point to understanding specific injury issues, and are not meant to be used as the only source of evidence. Due to the magnitude of the injury issue and its effect on the health status of a population, injury prevention is now largely defined as a public health issue. However, public health is only one piece of the injury prevention puzzle and there are diverse approaches to addressing this important health issue (see Jason’s Story). The goal of this resource is to prepare many individuals with a basic understanding of the field of injury prevention. The CCCIP and the authors who have contributed to this first injury prevention resource in Canada believe that by creating a ‘critical mass’ of knowledgeable practitioners we will leverage resources to build a sustainable infrastructure for injury prevention in Canada. (Author/publisher)
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