Background The Injury Equity Framework is a novel integration of the Haddon Matrix and the Cliff of Good Health by Jones et al that was developed to systematically identify and address factors which contribute to inequities in injury outcomes. First published in US literature and designed to address US based inequities, it includes historical and current societal factors as the context in which inequities occur. The context overlaps with societal factors and the intersectionality of individual, family, and community identities of an individual or group. The pre-event, event, and post-event phases of injury, as well as various contributors and countermeasures from the Haddon Matrix including the built environment, legislation and policy, education, equipment and technology, and treatment and recovery are included.

Objective & Practice Description The objective was to utilize components of the Injury Equity Framework to identify factors contributing to global inequities in injury outcomes based on available literature. The practice begins with a robust literature search on the burden of injuries in low- and middle-income countries and factors that may contribute to the burden. The results of the literature search were used to identify specific components of each category of the Injury Equity Framework as they apply to global inequities.

Outcomes and Learnings Like inequities in the US, global inequities are complex and multifactorial, but do include identifiable and addressable components. For example, a factor in the pre-event phase is a paucity of systematic data collection such as the lack of trauma registries in Botswana. The event phase includes built environment features such as an absence of pedestrian crosswalks. The post-event phase includes treatment and recovery factors such as an absence of widely accessible trauma and rehabilitation care.

Implications If the identifiable and addressable components, as illuminated by the Injury Equity Framework, are targeted, global inequities in injury outcomes could be significantly reduced over time.

Conclusions The Injury Equity Framework is a tool that can be used by multidisciplinary teams including policy makers, injury prevention program directors, public health practitioners and others to identify and address the complex factors which together contribute to global injury inequities.