Comparison of Poisson and Bernoulli spatial cluster analyses of pediatric injuries in a fire district

Abstract

Abstract Background With limited resources available, injury prevention efforts need to be targeted both geographically and to specific populations. As part of a pediatric injury prevention project, data was obtained on all pediatric medical and injury incidents in a fire district to evaluate geographical clustering of pediatric injuries. This will be the first step in attempting to prevent these injuries with specific interventions depending on locations and mechanisms. Results There were a total of 4803 incidents involving patients less than 15 years of age that the fire district responded to during 2001–2005 of which 1997 were categorized as injuries and 2806 as medical calls. The two cohorts (injured versus medical) differed in age distribution (7.7 ± 4.4 years versus 5.4 ± 4.8 years, p Conclusion Significant clustering occurs overall for all injury mechanisms combined and for each mechanism depending on the cluster detection method used. There was some overlap in geographic clusters identified by both methods. The Bernoulli method allows more focused cluster mapping and evaluation since it directly uses location data. Once clusters are found, interventions can be targeted to specific geographic locations, location types, ages of victims, and mechanisms of injury.