Are animal-related injuries in rural areas a social problem? A survey from Poland

Animal-Related Injuries and Fatalities in the AgInjurynews Collection

OBJECTIVES

This research had three objectives. The first was to characterize reports of animal-related injuries found in the AgInjuryNews Dataset. The second objective was to compare the results of the AgInjuryNews reports to that of the Regional Rural Injury study. The third objective was to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the utility of using the AgInjuryNews database.

METHODS

A total of 104 reports on animal-related incidents representing 112 victims were sourced from AgInjuryNews. Chi square tests were performed comparing fatal and non-fatal injuries across age, gender, role in incident, animal, and activity. Additional chi square tests were performed to compare AgInjuryNews data with the results of Regional Rural Injury Study II across age, gender, animal, and activity. Utility of the dataset was assessed by examining the distribution of reports across states, the availability of articles, and qualitative observations.

RESULTS

Chi square results comparing fatal and nonfatal injuries were significant for victim gender. Results of the comparison of the two studies were significant for age and activity. A mismatch between the states with the highest populations of large animals and the states with the most reports in the AgInjryNews.org database was detected. Approximately 42% of reports the original articles were not accessible. Media bias plays a role in which cases are reported, but the size and accessibility of the dataset increases its utility.

CONCLUSION

Despite the limitations inherent to the dataset, the amount of freely accessible information and the level of insight provided make AgInjuryNews a valuable resource for agricultural injury research.

Bite wounds to the hand - a review

Bite wounds occur as a result of bite by an animal or a human. They are relatively frequent due to the growing number of pets living with people, as well as from inadequate human-animal interactions. The knowledge of most surgeons about the management of these injuries is relatively outdated, whereas the current literature points to important changes in this field. The article presents several aspects concerning epidemiology, classification, bacteriology, and characteristics of bite wounds to the hand. Based on the actual literature, detailed rules for the management of these injuries are described. This information may prove useful in the daily practice of surgeons and doctors at emergency departments who are frequently faced with bite wounds.