Analysis of 100 upper limb injuries using the Merseyside Accident Information Model

More than 2 million upper limb injuries occur each year in Britain. Information about the precise sequence of events leading up to an accident may help prevention of similar injuries by alteration of the work environment or through safety education. The first impression of the cause of an accident may not identify the key event triggering it. The Merseyside Accident Information Model (MAIM; Manning, 1987) provides a structured questionnaire, based on a menu-led computer programme. This not only allows the first unforeseen event to be identified from the history, but is also the basis of a database. Pooled data can then be analyzed. We present an analysis of 100 consecutive cases presenting to one Plastic Surgery Unit.