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Abstract Background Child safety in schools is paramount for decision-makers globally, with a focus on ensuring children return home safely. However, the prevalent issue of injuries across educational systems demands a comprehensive investigation into their causes, incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives and social dynamics, to develop effective prevention strategies. The objective of this study is to comprehensively analyze the factors contributing to school-related injuries and examine the impact of school climate on student safety. By employing advanced data analysis techniques, the research aims to develop targeted, effective strategies to enhance child safety in educational settings. This research aims to develop a multidimensional taxonomy to understand child injuries in elementary schools better, enhancing precision in decision-making. Methods Data from 363 Israeli primary schools and 10,855 school injuries attended to by MDA, the principal EMS provider, were analyzed. The study utilized a two-level taxonomy, employing clustering methodology to classify schools into distinct climate "patterns," with each pattern further delineating school injury characteristics into sub-patterns. The chosen method proved effective in revealing nuanced relationships between school injuries and climate characteristics. Results Analysis revealed five school climate clusters, ranging from "good" to "bad," each exhibiting two homogeneous sub-clusters of school injuries. Schools with a "positive" climate witnessed boys predominantly experiencing head injuries during breaks, while girls often sustained limb injuries from playing in corridors. Conversely, within the "negative" climate cluster, subgroups emerged based on injury nature, whether linked to playing or falling from a height. Conclusion The research delineates a nuanced association between school climate and injury rates, emphasizing the necessity for sophisticated analytical techniques beyond conventional methodologies. Utilizing a diverse dataset from various disciplines, the study highlights the multidimensional aspects of school health. The developed taxonomy reveals the complex dynamics within school environments, advocating for customized health policies to mitigate injuries. Critical findings prompt a reevaluation of established assumptions about the school climate-injury relationship, informing strategic policymaking. For example, it suggests collaboration to enhance school safety through targeted, gender-sensitive interventions and improvements. Integrating different data sources offers a holistic understanding crucial for effective health policy formulation in educational contexts.

Abstract Background Child injury is a global public health problem. Children spend 25–50% of their daytime in school and risks of school accidents are high. The purpose of this study is to perform a comprehensive analysis of game-related injuries. Methods A nationwide dataset of 36,002 school injury events that occurred in Israel between 2013 and 2019 and were served by the National EMS, was used. The relations between different variables were demonstrated using multidimensional frequency tables. Z-tests, chi-square tests, ANOVA tests, and J48 classification trees were used to analyze the data. Results The prevailing injury cause (36.8%) was “game”, 44.8% of which occur during breaks, and the most frequently injured body regions were head, hand, and leg/foot (47.2%, 26.7%, and 19.7%, respectively). Age was negatively correlated with head injuries and positively correlated with limb injuries. 33% of all injuries occur in the playground and 20.1% occur in the sports field. About 33.3% of game-related injuries in elementary schools occur during the 10:00 a.m. break and an additional 24.7% during the 12:00 p.m. lunch break. Conclusion Games are the prevailing cause of school injuries in Israel. Gender and age differences, and seasonal and circadian trends were observed. Understanding the patterns and the trends of school injuries can enable the development of effective prevention policies on the national, municipal, and local levels, focusing the efforts on the key factors affecting injury incidence. Efficient use of resources is necessary, taking into account resource and budget constraints. Efforts can include education of teachers and pupils in relation to school accidents, promoting a safer physical environment, safety education, staff development and family and community involvement, and coordinative training with a focus on proprioception.

Abstract Background Early professional care in emergencies is beneficial in general and its utility has been proven in many studies, particularly in regard to out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest. A person in distress can expect help from two sources: bystanders, including family members, community members, and complete strangers; and professionals, including emergency medical services, first responders, firefighters, and police officers. Emergency Medical Services try to achieve faster first response times through various approaches. Recent technological and social developments have enabled a new form of Emergency Medical Services volunteering, called Organized Good Samaritans, which represents a new layer between occasional volunteers and time-donation volunteers. Organized Good Samaritans are people with a medical background, particularly off-duty medical professionals who are willing and able to provide first aid in emergencies in their vicinity. Methods A qualitative formalization of technology-enabled Organized Good Samaritans is presented. One thousand eight hundred Israeli National Emergency Medical Services volunteers were surveyed using Clary and Snyder’s Volunteer Functions Inventory instrument. Demographics, professional backgrounds, and volunteering functions of Time-Donation Volunteers and Organized Good Samaritans are compared. Results Significant differences between Organized Good Samaritans and Time Donation Volunteers were found. Demographically, Organized Good Samaritans are older and the percentage of males is higher. Professionally, the percentage of physicians and nurses among Organized Good Samaritans is higher. Motivation measures find that the motivation of Organized Good Samaritans is higher and the order of importance of the volunteering functions differs. Conclusion A clearly identifiable and differently motivated class of emergency services volunteers has emerged. An appropriate information technology infrastructure enables Emergency Medical Services organizations to integrate Organized Good Samaritans into core business processes to shorten response times to emergencies. Organized Good Samaritans provide a volunteering opportunity for highly skilled people unable to be Time-Donation Volunteers. Our findings provide an empirical basis for further research on Organized Good Samaritans integration into Emergency Medical Services operations. Emergency Medical Services administrators can use these findings to establish an Organized Good Samaritans infrastructure and adjust recruitment and retention. This study is limited to one national Emergency Medical Services organization in Israel. Cultural differences can impact results in other countries. Organized Good Samaritans effectiveness should also be studied in terms of response times and medical outcomes.