BMJ 2002;325:979-980 ( 2 November )

Editorials

Smoke detectors and house fires

Alarms failed because detectors were not installed or maintained properly

Papers p 995

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Three themes recur in injury prevention: the need to implement fully what is already known, a preference for passive strategies over active ones, and pressure to evaluate new programmes formally. It is unusual for all to be reflected in a single paper, but each is evident in the report by DiGuiseppi et al in this issue (p 995).1 It is also unusual for a report to be as flawless as this one seems to be. The scientific literature is plagued with overworked phrases such as "landmark" and "milestone," yet this study describing the results of a cluster randomised trial of a distribution programme for smoke detectors fully deserves such accolades. To have evaluated a safety programme by using this immaculate design is a huge credit to the investigators and their funding bodies. It is also to the credit of this journal and its reviewers to publish a report whose . . . [Full text of this article]
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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Roberts, H, Curtis, K, Liabo, K, Rowland, D, DiGuiseppi, C, Roberts, I (2004). Putting public health evidence into practice: increasing the prevalence of working smoke alarms in disadvantaged inner city housing. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 58: 280-285 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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