The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation

Abstract Background Injuries, the cause of an estimated 4.5 million deaths annually and many more disabilities worldwide each year, are the predictable outcome of particular circumstances. One of the most effective ways to prevent injuries is through policy and legislation. The aim of this research...

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Main Authors: Puspa Raj Pant, Julie Mytton, Milan Raj Dharel, Amrit Dangi, Writu Bhatta Rai, Sunil Kumar Joshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2021-04-01
Series:Health Research Policy and Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00686-1
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spelling doaj-ae3077fb98bb44c4af117f64d33780bc2021-04-18T11:48:06ZengBMCHealth Research Policy and Systems1478-45052021-04-0119112010.1186/s12961-021-00686-1The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislationPuspa Raj Pant0Julie Mytton1Milan Raj Dharel2Amrit Dangi3Writu Bhatta Rai4Sunil Kumar Joshi5Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England BristolFaculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England BristolSwatantrata Abhiyan NepalSwatantrata Abhiyan NepalSwatantrata Abhiyan NepalDepartment of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical CollegeAbstract Background Injuries, the cause of an estimated 4.5 million deaths annually and many more disabilities worldwide each year, are the predictable outcome of particular circumstances. One of the most effective ways to prevent injuries is through policy and legislation. The aim of this research study was to identify and critically review all policy and legislation in Nepal that had the potential to prevent injuries. Methods We identified legislation and policy that met inclusion criteria through a stakeholder meeting, networks and contacts, and websites and electronic resources. Each included document was critically reviewed to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. We compared the included documents against WHO’s recommendations of known effective interventions. Results Sixty-two documents met the inclusion criteria for this review. Of these, 24 (38.7%) were exclusively related to road injuries, 11 (17.7%) to occupational injuries, 6 (9.7%) to injuries in the home and 5 (8.1%) to injuries at school; 30 (48.4%) documents included text related to the first response to injuries. Of 127 strategic recommendations by WHO that provided an area for policy or legislative focus, 21 (16.5%) were considered adequately met by Nepali policy and legislation, 43 (33.9%) were considered partially met and 63 (49.6%) were not met. Conclusion We drew five conclusions from this critical policy review, which we have related to recommendations as follows: widening the scope of legislation and policy for injury prevention to emphasize injuries occurring at home or school; addressing the causes of injuries and promoting proven preventive measures; greater clarity on both individual and institutional roles and responsibilities; trustworthy data and quality evidence to inform decision-making; and financial investment and capacity-strengthening for injury prevention and first response. The current system of federal governance in Nepal has potential for strengthening injury prevention and first response at the central, provincial and local levels.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00686-1Injury preventionFirst responseNational policiesLegislationLaw implementationNepal
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Puspa Raj Pant
Julie Mytton
Milan Raj Dharel
Amrit Dangi
Writu Bhatta Rai
Sunil Kumar Joshi
spellingShingle Puspa Raj Pant
Julie Mytton
Milan Raj Dharel
Amrit Dangi
Writu Bhatta Rai
Sunil Kumar Joshi
The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation
Health Research Policy and Systems
Injury prevention
First response
National policies
Legislation
Law implementation
Nepal
author_facet Puspa Raj Pant
Julie Mytton
Milan Raj Dharel
Amrit Dangi
Writu Bhatta Rai
Sunil Kumar Joshi
author_sort Puspa Raj Pant
title The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation
title_short The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation
title_full The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation
title_fullStr The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation
title_full_unstemmed The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation
title_sort prevention of – and first response to – injuries in nepal: a review of policies and legislation
publisher BMC
series Health Research Policy and Systems
issn 1478-4505
publishDate 2021-04-01
description Abstract Background Injuries, the cause of an estimated 4.5 million deaths annually and many more disabilities worldwide each year, are the predictable outcome of particular circumstances. One of the most effective ways to prevent injuries is through policy and legislation. The aim of this research study was to identify and critically review all policy and legislation in Nepal that had the potential to prevent injuries. Methods We identified legislation and policy that met inclusion criteria through a stakeholder meeting, networks and contacts, and websites and electronic resources. Each included document was critically reviewed to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. We compared the included documents against WHO’s recommendations of known effective interventions. Results Sixty-two documents met the inclusion criteria for this review. Of these, 24 (38.7%) were exclusively related to road injuries, 11 (17.7%) to occupational injuries, 6 (9.7%) to injuries in the home and 5 (8.1%) to injuries at school; 30 (48.4%) documents included text related to the first response to injuries. Of 127 strategic recommendations by WHO that provided an area for policy or legislative focus, 21 (16.5%) were considered adequately met by Nepali policy and legislation, 43 (33.9%) were considered partially met and 63 (49.6%) were not met. Conclusion We drew five conclusions from this critical policy review, which we have related to recommendations as follows: widening the scope of legislation and policy for injury prevention to emphasize injuries occurring at home or school; addressing the causes of injuries and promoting proven preventive measures; greater clarity on both individual and institutional roles and responsibilities; trustworthy data and quality evidence to inform decision-making; and financial investment and capacity-strengthening for injury prevention and first response. The current system of federal governance in Nepal has potential for strengthening injury prevention and first response at the central, provincial and local levels.
topic Injury prevention
First response
National policies
Legislation
Law implementation
Nepal
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00686-1
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