Haddon Matrix

The Haddon Matrix is the most commonly used paradigm in the injury prevention 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. By utilizing this framework, one can then think about evaluating the relative importance of different factors and design interventions.

A typical Haddon Matrix looks like this :

Preventing injuries

Possible ways of preventing injury during the various phases include: [Haddon, W Jr: "The changing approach to the epidemiology, prevention, and amelioration of trauma: the transition to approaches etiologically rather than descriptively based." "Injury Prevention" (1999), 5(3):231-235.] [Haddon, W Jr: "Advances in the epidemiology of injuries as a basis for public policy." "Public Health Reports" (1980), 95(5):411-421.] [Haddon, W Jr: "Editorial: Strategy in preventive medicine: passive vs. active approaches to reducing human wastage." "Journal of Trauma" (1974), 14(4):353-354.] [Baker, SP; Haddon, W Jr: "Reducing injuries and their results: the scientific approach.." "Milbank Mem Fund Q Health Soc" (1974), 52(4):377-389.] [Haddon, W Jr: "On the escape of tigers: an ecologic note." "American Journal of Public Health" (1970), 60(12):2229-2234.]

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.

References

* http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/4/4/302
* http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/CHPP/CAM/4-PublHlthApproach/HaddonMatrix.pdf
* http://www.ibiblio.org/vincentweb/chapter6.html
* http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1257548