Injury prevention: opportunities in the emergency department.

Because injury is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young patients, emergency departments have a significant opportunity to provide injury-prevention interventions at a teachable moment. The emergency department has the ability to survey injuries in the community, use the hospital setting to screen patients, provide products, offer resources to assist families within this setting to change their risky behaviors, and connect families to community resources. With a thoughtful, collaborative approach, emergency departments are an excellent setting within which to promote injury prevention among patients and families.