The Haddon Matrix is the most commonly used

paradigm In science and philosophy, a paradigm ( ) is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. The word ''paradigm'' is Ancient ...

in the

injury prevention Injury prevention is an effort to prevent or reduce the severity of bodily injury, bodily injuries caused by external mechanisms, such as accidents, before they occur. Injury prevention is a component of safety and public health, and its goal is ...

field. Developed by William Haddon in 1970, the matrix looks at factors related to personal attributes, vector or agent attributes and environmental attributes; before, during and after an

injury Injury is physiological damage to the living tissue of any organism, whether in humans, in other animals, or in plants. Injuries can be caused in many ways, including mechanically with penetration by sharp objects such as teeth or with ...

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. By utilizing this framework, one can then think about evaluating the relative importance of different factors and design interventions. A typical Haddon Matrix:

Preventing injuries

(These ten items are often called "Haddon's Strategies.") Possible ways of preventing injury during the various phases include:

Pre-event

# Prevent the existence of the agent. # Prevent the release of the agent. # Separate the agent from the host. # Provide protection for the host.

Event

# Minimize the amount of agent present. # Control the pattern of release of the agent to minimize damage. # Control the interaction between the agent and host to minimize damage. # Increase the resilience of the host.

Post-event

# Provide a rapid treatment response for host. # Provide treatment and rehabilitation for the host.

Citations

General and cited references

* * https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192751/http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/CHPP/CAM/4-PublHlthApproach/HaddonMatrix.pdf * http://www.ibiblio.org/vincentweb/chapter6.html * {{cite journal , vauthors=Barnett DJ, Balicer RD, Blodgett D, Fews AL, Parker CL, Links JM , title=The Application of the Haddon Matrix to Public Health Readiness and Response Planning , journal=Environ. Health Perspect. , volume=113 , issue=5 , pages=561–6 , date=May 2005 , pmid=15866764 , pmc=1257548 , doi=10.1289/ehp.7491 Safety