Highlights of the Nova Scotia Injury Prevention Strategy

Vision
Everyone in Nova Scotia working together to make our province the safest and healthiest place to grow, live, work, and play.

Mission
Making Nova Scotia injury free through a provincial injury prevention strategy.

Guiding Principles

• A provincial injury prevention strategy will build on evidence-based injury prevention strategies and initiatives.
• A provincial injury prevention strategy will be comprehensive – addressing areas that play a role in reducing both intentional and unintentional injury.
• A provincial injury prevention strategy will be relevant to the needs of all populations based on priorities established through surveillance and research.
• A provincial injury prevention strategy will be a living document that is evidence-based and continuously monitored and evaluated.
• A provincial injury prevention strategy will recognize the diversity of stakeholders and, and foster opportunities for collaboration and cooperation.
• A provincial injury prevention strategy will be guided by a population health approach.

Strategic Directions

1. Current Programs
   Current programs are recognized and opportunities for collaboration are identified through the injury prevention strategy.
2. Injury Priorities
   Programs and strategies that are comprehensive, multi-faceted, and address priority issues, as identified by surveillance, research, and consultation. (The three priority issues identified and addressed in the current strategy are falls, motor vehicle collisions and transportation related injuries, and self-inflicted injuries).
3. Surveillance, Research and Evaluation
   A system that collects, analyses, interprets and evaluates injury-related data and informs the injury prevention strategy in a timely manner.
4. Communications/Social Marketing
   A social marketing strategy that engages Nova Scotians in injury prevention efforts because they recognize that injury is a significant health issue that threatens their well-being and is a burden on the economy.
5. Tertiary Prevention
   A system that improves outcomes for those affected by injury by optimizing emergency response, acute care, rehabilitation, and ongoing community support.
6. Infrastructure
   Leadership, capacity building and infrastructure that sustains, coordinates, facilitates, monitors, evaluates and supports all aspects of the Injury Prevention Strategy.