BACKGROUND: Contrary to the World Health Organization's internationally recommended medical certificate of cause of death, the South African (SA) death notification form (DNF) does not allow for the reporting of the manner of death to permit accurate coding of external causes of injury deaths OBJECTIVES: To describe the injury cause-of-death profile from forensic pathology records collected for the National Cause-of-Death Validation (NCoDV) Project and compare it with profiles from other sources of injury mortality data. In particular, the recording of firearm use in homicides is compared between sources METHODS: The NCoDV Project was a cross-sectional study of deaths that occurred during a fixed period in 2017 and 2018, from a nationally representative sample of 27 health subdistricts in SA. Trained fieldworkers scanned forensic records for all deaths investigated at the forensic mortuaries serving the sampled subdistricts during the study period. Forensic practitioners reviewed the records and completed a medical certificate of cause of death for each decedent. Causes of death were coded to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), using Iris automated coding software. Cause-specific mortality fractions for injury deaths were compared with Injury Mortality Survey 2017 (IMS 2017) and Statistics South Africa 2017 (Stats SA 2017) datasets. The cause profile for all firearm-related deaths was compared between the three datasets RESULTS: A total of 5 315 records were available for analysis. Males accounted for 77.6% of cases, and most decedents were aged between 25 and 44 years. Homicide was the leading cause of death (34.7%), followed by transport injuries (32.6%) and suicide (14.7%). This injury cause profile was similar to IMS 2017 but differed markedly from the official statistics, which showed markedly lower proportions of these three causes (15.0%, 11.6% and 0.7%, respectively), and a much higher proportion of other unintentional causes. Investigation of firearm-related deaths revealed that most were homicides in NCoDV 2017/18 (88.5%) and IMS 2017 (93.1%), while in the Stats SA 2017 data, 98.7% of firearm deaths were classified as accidental. Approximately 7% of firearm-related deaths were suicides in NCoDV 2017/18 and IMS 2017, with only 0.3% in Stats SA 2017 CONCLUSION: The official cause-of-death data for injuries in SA in 2017 differed substantially from findings from the NCoDV 2017/18 study and IMS 2017. Accurate data sources would ensure that public health interventions are designed to reduce the high injury burden. Inclusion of the manner of death on the DNF, as is recommended internationally, is critically important to enable more accurate, reliable and valid reporting of the injury profile

BACKGROUND: In South Africa (SA), road traffic injuries, homicides and burns are the leading causes of injury-related deaths among children. Injury-related deaths are well documented for SA, but this is not the case for non-fatal injuries OBJECTIVES: To describe the non-fatal injuries sustained among children aged 0-13 years, to identify any significant sex differences by age group, cause of injury, admission status and injury severity METHODS: The trauma unit database from 1997 to 2016 at Red Cross War Memorial Childrens Hospital, Cape Town, was utilised for this analysis. The prevalence of injuries and the boy/girl ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported RESULTS: Analysis indicated significant differences by sex for individual injury causes (transport, assault, burns, falls and other injuries), age group, injury severity and admission status. Moderately severe injuries were largely caused by burns, while severe injuries were mostly transport related. Boys had significantly higher proportions of all injury causes. The boy/girl ratio was lowest for assault (1:18), where significantly more girls aged 1-3 and 4-6 years were injured. Rape/sexual assault was 5.5 times higher for girls, with a significantly higher proportion of moderate-severity injuries (87%; 95% CI 84.7 - 89.4 CONCLUSION: The study findings call for a more targeted prevention response for boy and girl children. Interventions should be targeted at the prevention of burns, traffic collisions and interpersonal violence, in particular sexual assaults against girls

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have highlighted interpersonal violence and violence against women and girls as impediments to development globally. South Africa is adversely affected by violence and injury. The annual Victims of Crime Survey (VoCS) provides a potentially useful source of complementary data to bolster vital registration and police crime statistics, but it may not provide data that are sufficiently accurate and reliable to inform prevention efforts. We conducted a critical assessment of the VoCS's methodological robustness and strength as a data source for high-level analyses, adopting a public health and SDGs monitoring perspective that was based on expert opinion and comparison with other data sources. We concluded that either the survey methods should be improved to provide findings that are better aligned with the SDGs agenda and are robust enough to inform high-quality research and prevention, or the funds used to conduct the VoCS should be redirected to other more suitable instruments.

BACKGROUND. Gunshot injuries from interpersonal violence are a major cause of mortality. In South Africa (SA), the Firearms Control Act of 2000 sought to address firearm violence by removing illegally owned firearms from circulation, stricter regulation of legally owned firearms, and stricter licensing requirements. Over the last few years, varied implementation of the Act and police corruption have increased firearm availability. OBJECTIVES. To investigate whether changes in firearm availability in SA were associated with changes in firearm homicide rates. METHODS. This was a retrospective time trend study (1994 - 2013) using postmortem data. Time trends of firearm and non-firearm homicide rates were analysed with generalised linear models. Distinct time periods for temporal trends were assigned based on a priori assumptions regarding changes in the availability of firearms. RESULTS. Firearm and non-firearm homicide rates adjusted for age, sex and race exhibited different temporal trends. Non-firearm homicide rates either decreased or remained stable over the entire period. Firearm homicide increased at 13% annually from 1994 through 2000, and decreased by 15% from 2003 through 2006, corresponding with changes in firearm availability in 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2011. A 21% annual increase in firearm homicide after 2010 coincided with police fast-tracking new firearm licence applications. Cape Town's coloured population experienced a significantly greater increase than other population groups following additional exposure to illegal firearms from 2007. CONCLUSIONS. The strong association between firearm availability and homicide, and the reversal of a decreasing firearm homicide trend during a period of lax enforcement, provide further support for the association between reduced firearm homicide and stricter regulation.

BACKGROUND. Guidelines recommend a preoperative fasting period of 6 hours for solid food and 2 hours for clear fluids. Because of fixed meal times and imprecise operation starting times, patients often fast for an extended period of time. OBJECTIVE. To investigate the prescribed preoperative fasting times, and the actual duration of fasting, compared with the internationally accepted fasting times for solid food and clear fluids. METHODS. Patients (N=105) aged 14 - 60 years, who were scheduled for elective surgery in the morning session (list starting time 07h00), were included in this prospective study. On arrival in theatre, all patients were asked when they last ate and drank. Anaesthetic records were used to determine the prescribed fasting times and operation starting times. RESULTS. For solids, patients were most frequently prescribed to start fasting from 22h00 to 00h00 (53.3% and 39.1%, respectively). No patient fasted <8 hours. The median duration of fasting was 14 hours and 45 minutes (range 9 hours and 45 minutes - 19 hours and 5 minutes). For fluids, patients were most frequently prescribed to start fasting from 05h00 (46.7%), 00h00 (27.6%) and 22h00 (7.6%). In practice, no patient ingested fluids after 22h30 or <9 hours preoperatively. The median fasting time for oral fluids was 13 hours and 25 minutes (range 9 hours and 37 minutes - 19 hours and 5 minutes). CONCLUSION. Most patients started fasting too early preoperatively, consequently withholding food and oral fluids for longer than recommended. An increased awareness regarding complications of unnecessarily long fasting times, and interventions to correct this problem, is required.

BACKGROUND: The Western Cape Province had the highest homicide rates in South Africa during the early 2000s. South African Police Service (SAPS) data suggested a significant decline in homicide rates in the Western Cape since 2007. It ranked second highest to the Eastern Cape Province until 2013 and ranked highest again at 52.1/100 000 in 2015. A recent national injury mortality survey offers an alternative data source to assess whether the decline in homicide rates in the Western Cape was real. METHODS: A retrospective record review of autopsies was conducted from 45 state mortuaries in eight provinces for 2009. In addition, mortality data for the Western Cape were sourced from the Provincial Injury Mortality Surveillance System. Age-standardised mortality rates and crude homicide rates per 100 000 population were calculated to compare with the SAPS crude rates. RESULTS: Our study found that the Western Cape had a provincial age-standardised homicide rate of 40.1/100 000 in 2009 and ranked fourth highest among the nine provinces. The crude homicide rate of 43/100 000 for the Western Cape was similar to the SAPS provincial homicide rate of 42.4/100 000. The Northern Cape Province was the only notable exception to our provincial homicide rate ranking comparison with the SAPS for 2009. CONCLUSIONS: The Western Cape is fortunate to have alternative data sources to monitor trends in homicides over time. The latest release of the 2014/2015 SAPS crime statistics should be assessed in a similar manner, with a more recent data source, to validate accuracy of the provincial rates on a regular basis.

In the a quo judgment in M v Minister of Police a radical new approach was followed in respect of claims for loss of parental care. The issue before court was whether a child whose parent has died as a result of the wrongful conduct of the South African Police Services may sue for damages arising from the child's constitutional right to parental care in terms of section 28(1)(b). The question which the Court had to answer was whether a claim for damages may be instituted on the grounds that children are as a result of the wrongful death of their father deprived of their constitutionally entrenched right to parental care. This contribution reflects on the reasoning of the different courts and the relevance of same for the debate regarding the care of children in terms of section 28(1)(b) of the Constitution and section 1 of the Children's Act 38 of 2005.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a standardized method for calculating years lived with disability (YLD) after injury. METHODS: The method developed consists of obtaining data on injury cases seen in emergency departments as well as injury-related hospital admissions, using the EUROCOST system to link the injury cases to disability information and employing empirical data to describe functional outcomes in injured patients. FINDINGS: Overall, 87 weights and proportions for 27 injury diagnoses involving lifelong consequences were included in the method. Almost all of the injuries investigated (96-100%) could be assigned to EUROCOST categories. The mean number of YLD per case of injury varied with the country studied. Use of the novel method resulted in estimated burdens of injury that were 3 to 8 times higher, in terms of YLD, than the corresponding estimates produced using the conventional methods employed in global burden of disease studies, which employ disability-adjusted life years. CONCLUSION: The novel method for calculating YLD after injury can be applied in different settings, overcomes some limitations of the method used to calculate the global burden of disease, and allows more accurate estimates of the population burden of injury.

OBJETIVO: Desarrollar un método estandarizado para calcular los años vividos con una discapacidad (YLD, por sus siglas en inglés) después de un traumatismo. MÉTODOS: El método desarrollado consiste en la obtención de datos acerca de los casos de traumatismos vistos en los servicios de urgencias y en hospitalizaciones relacionadas con traumatismos por medio del sistema EUROCOST para relacionar los casos de traumatismos con la información sobre la discapacidad y utilizar los datos empíricos para describir los resultados funcionales en pacientes con traumatismos. RESULTADOS: En total, se incluyeron en el método 87 pesos y proporciones de 27 diagnósticos por traumatismo con consecuencias para toda la vida. La mayoría de los traumatismos investigados (96-100%) pudo asignarse a una de las categorías de EUROCOST. El número medio de YLD por traumatismo varió en cada país estudiado. El uso del método novedoso dio como resultado cargas estimadas de traumatismo que fueron de 3 a 8 veces más altas, desde el punto de vista de los YLD, que los cálculos correspondientes obtenidos a través de los métodos convencionales empleados en los estudios mundiales sobre la carga de traumatismos, que utilizan los años de vida ajustados por discapacidad. CONCLUSIÓN: El método novedoso para calcular los YLD después de un traumatismo puede aplicarse en entornos distintos, supera algunas de las limitaciones del método empleado para calcular la carga global de morbilidad y permite realizar estimaciones más exactas de la población con traumatismos.

OBJECTIF: Mettre au point une méthode normalisée de calcul des années vécues avec une incapacité (AVI) après une blessure. MÉTHODES: La méthode développée consiste à obtenir les données relatives aux blessures des services d'urgence, ainsi que celles relatives aux hospitalisations liées à des blessures, en utilisant le système EUROCOST pour relier les cas de blessures à l'information relative à l'invalidité, et en utilisant des données empiriques pour décrire les résultats fonctionnels chez les patients blessés. RÉSULTATS Au total, 87 poids et proportions pour 27 diagnostics de blessures impliquant des séquelles à vie ont été inclus dans la méthode. Presque toutes les blessures étudiées (96 à 100%) pouvaient être attribuées aux catégories EUROCOST. Le nombre moyen d'AVI par cas de blessure variait selon le pays étudié. L'utilisation de la nouvelle méthode a entraîné des charges estimées des blessures 3 à 8 fois supérieures en termes d'AVI que les estimations correspondantes résultant des méthodes classiques utilisées dans les études de charge globale de la morbidité, employant les années vécues ajustées à l'incapacité. CONCLUSION: La nouvelle méthode de calcul d'AVI après une blessure peut être appliquée dans des contextes différents, surmonte certaines des limites de la méthode utilisée pour calculer la charge globale de la morbidité et permet d'effectuer des estimations plus précises de la charge des blessures de la population.