On the prevention of accidents and injuries. A comparative analysis of conceptual frameworks.

The meaning of prevention has changed as new applications of the concept have appeared. Ideas presented in eleven different conceptual frameworks are compared. Identification of the frameworks took place through searches in databases and relevant literature. Five are general by nature, while six relate to injuries and accidents. All are supported by just a few parameters, the time dimension being the most prominent. Compatibility was established on three additional dimensions: level (individual, organizational or societal); direction ("bottom-up" or "top-down"); and in relation to the trichotomy "host-agent-environment". An attempt to synthesize all these dimensions into one general model of accident and injury prevention is presented.