Identification of Potentially Preventable Traumatic Injury Among Military Working Dogs Deployed During the Global War on Terror

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cwikla J ; Edwards TH ; Giles JT ; Gimeno Ruiz de Porras D ; Kennedy S ; Scott LL ; Smith B
• Description:
  Background: Prevention of deployment-related injury is critical for readiness of US military working dogs (MWDs). This study evaluated deployment-related injuries to determine if they were potentially preventable and identify possible abatement strategies. Methods: Data were collected on 195 MWD injury events that occurred between 11 September 2001 and 31 December 2018. Injuries were reviewed by a panel of veterinarians and categorized into groups based on panel consensus. The panel also established which interventions could have been effective for mitigating injuries. Multipurpose canine (MPC) and conventional MWD injury event characteristics were compared to identify meaningful differences. Results: Of the 195 injuries, 101 (52%) were classified as preventable or potentially preventable. Most (72%) of the potentially preventable injuries occurred in conventional MWDs, with penetrating injuries (64%) being the most common type of trauma. For the preventable/potentially preventable injuries, the most common preventative intervention identified was handler training (53%) followed by protective equipment (46%). There were differences between MPCs and conventional MWDs for injury prevention category, type of trauma, mechanism of injury, and preventative intervention (all p < .001). Conclusion: The application of a preventable review process to MWD populations may be beneficial in identifying potentially preventable injuries and preventative intervention strategies. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Health Personnel
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Veterinarians
• Keywords:
  • Military personnel
  • Veterinary medicine
  • Injury prevention
  • Traumatic injuries
  • Animal handlers
  • Author Keywords: injury prevention, canine
  • military working dogs
  • traumatic injury
• ISSN:
  1553-9768
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Tennessee ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  122-129
• Volume:
  22
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068547
• Citation:
  J Spec Oper Med 2022 Winter; 22(4):122-129
• Email:
  Jennifer.d.cwikla.mil@arrny.mil
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Special Operations Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207158/cdc_207158_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.04 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a8f25bba87065026215c688222cf09f185f8fb76aea7309a25f2f1abde71faeba62e1bcc5fbd6be82d1f0a2f84fd6f2b0a2da8080818067e8fa55597430d5dd9